A.J. Dybantsa looks like a future No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick. Now we know where he will be spending what is very likely his first and only year of men’s college basketball.
AJ Dybantsa commits to BYU for record NIL payment over college basketball bluebloods
A.J. Dybantsa could be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Photo by ALTAN GOCHER/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Dybantsa picked BYU over Alabama, North Carolina, and Kansas on Tuesday afternoon live on ESPN. He’s ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2025 by multiple outlets, and is considered the current front-runner to be the first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Dybantsa has the look of a future NBA All-Star. A 6’9 wing with a strong frame and long arms, Dybantsa is an explosive athlete with tough shot-making ability all over the floor. He’s a tank going to the basket with a quick first step and a jarring combination of leaping ability and body control around the basket. Dybantsa’s driving ability is made all the more effective by the fact that he’s the most dangerous pull-up shooter in high school basketball with the craft and range to hit shots from mid-range or beyond the NBA arc.
It’s hard to believe a top prospect would pick BYU over bluebloods like North Carolina and Kansas, or a recent powerhouse like Alabama, but this is the new world of NIL. Dybantsa is already spending his final year of high school in Utah after transferring to Utah Prep, an embattled upstart program founded by a BYU alum. Dybantsa’s family reportedly received an ownership stake in the high school to go along with a lucrative NIL payment. The young star began his high school career in Massachusetts before transferring to California’s Prolific Prep.
BYU hasn’t had a player draft in the NBA since Jimmer Fredette in 2011. The program hired former Phoenix Suns assistant coach Kevin Young ahead of this season after losing Mark Pope to Kentucky. Young immediately recruited a projected NBA lottery pick in Russian guard Egor Demin and another possible first rounder in Kanon Catchings. The Cougars are off to a 6-2 start this year in their second season in the Big 12.
A.J. Dybantsa signs record-breaking NIL deal with BYU
College basketball insider Jeff Goodman estimated Dybantsa would make $5 million in NIL during his one year at BYU.
Other estimates have put Dybantsa closer to $7 million:
The 2026 NBA Draft feels like the rare class with three legitimate No. 1 overall talents. Dybantsa will have plenty of competition for the top pick from Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson. Boozer is a super high-IQ offensive hub in the front court with a long pedigree of winning at every level before committing to Duke. Peterson is bound for Kansas as a big guard with a deep bag of scoring tricks all over the floor. For as much hype as the 2025 draft class has gotten, 2026 looks even stronger.
Dybantsa turns 18 years old in Jan. Enjoy him while you have him, BYU fans.
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