With an eye on 2026 draft, touted prospect AJ Dybantsa watches Spurs-Pacers in Paris

Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — A.J. Dybantsa gets recognized at NBA games now. It makes what might be coming his way in 18 months or so seem a little more real.

Dybantsa — the BYU-bound phenom who could be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft — was at the San Antonio-Indiana games in Paris this week. His presence made sense for multiple reasons: he’s made no secret that he’d like to play for the Spurs one day, and his father, Ace Dybantsa, used to play professionally in Paris.

“I’ve been thinking about 2026 since the day I started dribbling,” Dybantsa said Saturday, sitting courtside before the second of the two Spurs-Pacers games in France. “It’s closer now, but it’s still the same. It’s still the dream.”

Dybantsa — a five-star recruit who turns 18 on Wednesday — announced his commitment to BYU in November, turning down offers from some of the nation’s biggest programs like Kansas, North Carolina, UConn, Auburn and more. He’s become one of the faces of name, image and likeness (NIL) success, with reports saying Dybantsa will be able to turn his presumed one-year stay at BYU into at least $7 million in earnings.

The high-scoring, 6-foot-8 wing isn’t sure what the real number is. “Only my father knows,” Dybantsa said.

He insists BYU wasn’t chosen for the money. He said he chose it for the people, and what BYU coach Kevin Young is making happen.

Young came to the Cougars from the NBA; he spent nearly a decade as an assistant on the staffs in Philadelphia and Phoenix before making the move back to college. Dybantsa totally believes that what Young is doing will serve as great preparation for the NBA. And when Suns star Kevin Durant sang Young’s praises, that resonated further with Dybantsa during the decision-making process.

“He’s my favorite player,” Dybantsa said.

It’s not just Durant who has noticed. Shaquille O’Neal has taken an interest in Dybantsa’s future and trying to offer advice when he can. Paolo Banchero knows Dybantsa’s game. LeBron James, Chris Paul and plenty of others do, too.

“Guys that I’ve looked up to, like idol-wise, are noticing my game,” Dybantsa said. “Guys like Kevin Durant, Paul George, LeBron, they know I am. That’s crazy that I’ll potentially be playing against these guys, on this floor.”

There’s a certain symmetry with Dybantsa being in Paris for these games, since his father played in the city — living not far from the arena where the Spurs and Pacers were playing. Anicet Dybantsa Sr. is from the Congo; AJ’s mother, Chelsea, is Jamaican. The backgrounds are unique and AJ believes it’s helped him learn about the world through multiple prisms.

“I have good genes,” he said. “I think I can speak for 90% of kids of African descent when I say African parents are very strict. So, I just see the world really differently. I have parents that have been teaching discipline since I was born. So, I just have the mindset that everything has to be earned, not given.”

After heading home, Dybantsa has the rest of his high school season at Utah Prep awaiting. He’s hoping for a shot at the Chipotle Nationals in April, plus was just announced as one of the players chosen by USA Basketball for this year’s Nike Hoop Summit.

And then, in June 2026, there’s the NBA draft. He hopes, anyway.

“I’m not there yet,” Dybantsa said. “I’m not in the NBA, yet. I have to keep working.”

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