BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ
The projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft has made it official.
AJ Dybantsa announced Thursday he is declaring for the draft.
“Today I am officially declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft,” Dybantsa said. “I want to thank all of my coaches, BYU head coach Kevin Young and the whole staff at BYU, all of my teammates that I have played with since I was a kid. I want to thank God. I wouldn’t be healthy or here without him.”
The First Team All-American forward showed why he is among the best his class has to offer throughout his first and only season of college at BYU. Dybantsa led the nation in scoring with 25.5 points per game and broke NBA Superstar Kevin Durant‘s Big 12 Tournament scoring record.
The 6-foot-9 phenom does, however, plan on finishing his degree at BYU over the years.
“That’s the main message I have for kids that’s in the crowd today, stay in school,” Dybantsa said during his announcement. “Today I am declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft, but as y’all know my mom wanted me to stay in college to graduate. But, I told my mother I am going to declare for the draft but I’m going to finish my degree online. I’ll probably finish within the next four years, I’m going to stay at BYU and enroll in classes online.”
Dybantsa is a projected as the No. 1 overall pick by various mocks for the NBA Draft on June 23.
“This is the kid I would take with the No. 1 pick in the draft,” former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said on air of Dybantsa during March Madness.
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