AJ Dybantsa
American basketball player (born 2007)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anicet "AJ" Dybantsa Jr. (/diːˈbɑːntsɑː/ dee-BAHNT-sah; born January 29, 2007) is an American basketball player. Dybantsa played one year of college basketball for the BYU Cougars as the number one rated player of the 2025 class.
Dybantsa in 2024 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 29, 2007 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | BYU (2025–2026) |
| Position | Small forward |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Medals | |
Early life
Dybantsa was born on January 29, 2007, in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Brockton,[1][2] initially attending Saint Sebastian's School. Dybantsa is of Congolese and Jamaican origin; his father grew up in Grigny, France. He was named the Massachusetts Boys' Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year following his freshman season after averaging 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 blocks per game.[3] Dybantsa helped lead Saint Sebastian's to the NEPSAC Class A state championship, but lost to Milton Academy 77–76.[4]
Dybantsa transferred to Prolific Prep in Napa, California at the end of his freshman year, where he teamed up with the second-ranked player in the 2026 class, Tyran Stokes.[3][5] In July 2023, Dybantsa led the Nike Peach Jam in scoring with 25.8 points per game[6] as a member of Expressions Elite, an Amateur Athletic Union team from Boston.[7]
Dybantsa concluded his high school basketball career attending and playing for Utah Prep Academy in Hurricane, Utah for the 2024-25 season.[8][9] (Utah Prep Academy was previously RSL Basketball Academy in Herriman, Utah.)
Recruiting
Dybantsa was named the number one NBA prospect in the 2026 class by ESPN following his high school freshman season,[10] with his first NCAA Division I college offer coming from Boston College.[11] Additional schools that offered him a scholarship and/or were under consideration include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, UConn, Duke, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Kentucky, North Carolina, Providence, USC, Utah, and Washington.[12][13] In July 2023, On3.com named Dybantsa the top high school player in the country regardless of class.[6]
On October 11, 2023, Dybantsa announced that he had reclassified to the 2025 class.[14]
College career
On December 10, 2024, Dybantsa announced on First Take that he would be committing to BYU as he wanted to play basketball without much off-court attention.[15] He became the highest-ranked committed recruit to join BYU in program history.[16]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AJ Dybantsa SF |
Brockton, MA | Utah Prep | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | Dec 10, 2024 | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals:  247Sports: On3: ESPN: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: 247Sports: 4 On3: 24 | ||||||
Sources:
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On January 24, 2026, Dybantsa passed Danny Ainge for the most points posted by a BYU freshman in a game, recording 43 points during a 91–78 victory over Utah.[17] On April 22, Dybantsa declared for the 2026 NBA draft, in which he is projected as a potential first overall pick.[18]
National team career
Dybantsa won a gold medal while representing the United States at the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mérida, Mexico. He scored 12 points in the gold medal game and averaged 13.9 points for the tournament.[6][19][20] The following year, he helped the United States win the title at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey, where he averaged 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists during the competition.[21] In 2025, Dybantsa was named MVP of the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, after helping the United States win their ninth title at the event.[22] He averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists during the tournament.[23]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
College