A.J. Dybantsa, projected top pick in ’26 NBA draft, commits to BYU

A.J. Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 wing player who is the No. 1 prospect in high school basketball and the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, announced his commitment to BYU on Tuesday morning.

Dybantsa, who made his announcement on ESPN’s “First Take,” chose the Cougars over Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas. He becomes the first five-star recruit to commit to BYU since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007.

“At BYU, the whole staff from the head coach on down came from the NBA,” Dybantsa told ESPN. “Head coach Kevin Young coached my favorite player in KD (Kevin Durant), and coached Devin Booker. Both had a lot of good things to say about him. We watched clips of both.”

BYU had positioned itself toward the top of Dybantsa’s list shortly after Young, the Cougars’ new head coach, took over last spring. Young flew to meet Dybantsa’s parents during the NBA playoffs last spring when he was still on the Phoenix Suns‘ staff and then hosted Dybantsa for a visit in late June. Dybantsa also took his final official visit to BYU’s campus in October.

Dybantsa consistently pointed to all the NBA ties at BYU — even the program’s strength and conditioning coach, Michael Davie, was with the Milwaukee Bucks and the director of nutrition, Danielle LaFata, came from the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury.

“Coach Young’s NBA background played a big factor in my decision,” Dybantsa said. “He came from the NBA. He coached NBA players. You cannot get any closer to where I want to be.”

Several other schools were involved during the process, with Kansas State hosting Dybantsa in late August before failing to make his final list of four. He also visited Kansas, Alabama and North Carolina — with his father, Ace, attending last week’s Alabama vs. North Carolina game in Chapel Hill.

“This was a tough decision,” Dybantsa said. “The hardest part about the recruiting process is after every visit you want to go to that school.”

Dybantsa, originally from Massachusetts, transferred from Prolific Prep (California) to Utah Prep (Utah) over the summer, and was initially a member of the 2026 high school class before reclassifying to 2025 in October 2023. He was the No. 1 prospect in 2026 and maintained that status upon his move to 2025.

He’s been one of the most prolific scorers in the country throughout his high school basketball career, winning Gatorade Player of the Year honors for the state of Massachusetts in 2022-23. Despite playing up an age group at the Nike Peach Jam in the summer of 2023, he led the event in scoring, averaging 25.8 points. Last spring, he averaged 22.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists, shooting 51.9% from the floor and 36.7% from 3-point range — then followed it up in the summer with 23.1 points en route to leading the Oakland Soldiers to the Peach Jam championship game.

Dybantsa has also been a fixture with USA Basketball, winning gold medals at both the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup. He started all six games at the U16 level, averaging 13.7 points and 3.8 assists, then started all seven games at the U17 level, putting up 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

Dybantsa is the epitome of the modern-day NBA wing, possessing size, skill and explosiveness. He can play multiple positions, creating mismatches despite being just 17 years old. He shines as an aggressive attacking wing, but can turn into a playmaker and initiate offense for teammates. His scoring is most effective in the midrange, as most cannot challenge or contest against his size and high release. He is a tough shotmaker who has increased his 3-point percentage and also has the ability to finish through contact at the rim and get to the free throw line. Defensively, he can block shots with a quick second jump and is capable of switching on the perimeter.

Young now has to surround Dybantsa with enough talent to make BYU nationally competitive during his one season in Provo.

“The goal is to win a national championship,” he said. “Individually their plan is to make me NBA-ready, the No. 1 overall draft pick. They will help me with my 3-point shot and put me in different spots that I would play in the NBA.”

The star wing is the third member of the Cougars’ 2025 recruiting class, joining ESPN 100 center Xavion Staton (No. 34) and four-star big man Chamberlain Burgess. BYU has only four seniors on this year’s roster, but the Cougars could also lose projected lottery pick Egor Demin and first-round pick Kanon Catchings.