AJ Dybantsa

Anicet Francois Dybantsa Jr. was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 29, 2007. He grew up in Brockton. His father, Anicet "Ace" Dybantsa Sr., was born in the Republic of the Congo and lived in Grigny, France, before immigrating to the United States. His mother, Chelsea, immigrated from Jamaica.

He grew up with two sisters, Samarra and Jasmyn. As a child, he loved Spider-Man and followed professional sports closely, naming French soccer player Michael Olise and Kevin Durant as his favorite athletes. He later established the AJ Dybantsa Foundation to support community programs where he was raised.

Dybantsa began his high school career at Saint Sebastian's School in Needham, Massachusetts. As a freshman, he averaged 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. Saint Sebastian's reached the NEPSAC Class A state final, falling 77-76 to Milton Academy. He won the 2023 Massachusetts Boys' Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year award.

He transferred to Prolific Prep in Napa, California, teaming with fellow top prospect Tyran Stokes. That July, he led the Nike Peach Jam in scoring with 25.8 points per game for the Boston-based AAU program Expressions Elite. In October 2023, Dybantsa reclassified from the 2026 recruiting class into the class of 2025. Major recruiting services ranked him as the top overall prospect in the country. He completed his prep career at Utah Prep Academy in Hurricane, Utah, and was selected to the 2025 McDonald's All-American Game.

On December 10, 2024, Dybantsa committed to Brigham Young University on ESPN's First Take. He arrived in Provo as the highest-ranked recruit in BYU program history. Head coach Kevin Young made him the primary option on offense.

Dybantsa started all 35 games for the Cougars during the 2025-26 season. He led all Division I men's players in scoring with an average of 25.5 points per game, totaling 894 points. That was the third-highest total by a freshman in NCAA Division I history. On January 24, 2026, he scored 43 points in a 91-78 victory over Utah, breaking Danny Ainge's school record for single-game freshman scoring. He also recorded a 30-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against Eastern Washington, becoming the first player in Big 12 Conference history to reach those marks in a single game.

Dybantsa won major national honors at the conclusion of the season. He won the Julius Erving Award as the nation's top small forward, earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and was named a consensus first-team All-American. In April 2026, he declared for the NBA draft.

On June 23, 2026, the Washington Wizards selected Dybantsa with the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft. On July 2, 2026, he signed a four-year rookie contract worth $66.91 million.

Dybantsa played for USA Basketball before turning professional. He won his first gold medal at the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Merida, Mexico, averaging 13.9 points per game. The following summer, he helped the United States win the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey, averaging 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists. In 2025, he led Team USA to another gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland and received tournament MVP honors after averaging 14.3 points and shooting 50 percent from the field.