AJ Dybantsa just made it official.
BYU’s freshman phenom intends to enter June’s NBA draft, he announced Thursday morning via social media.
“Today I am officially declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft,” Dybantsa said in a statement. “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.”
Dybantsa spent his lone collegiate campaign in Provo, where he led the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game and became just the third Cougars player in history to earn First Team All-America honors.
The 6-foot-9, do-it-all wing also averaged 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game, with his 894 total points ranking second on BYU’s all-time single season leaderboard.
Of Dybantsa’s 35 outings as a Cougar, he scored at least 20 points in 28 of them — including each of his final 14 games — and crossed the 30-point mark on eight occasions.
In BYU’s first round NCAA Tournament loss to Texas, Dybantsa posted 35 points and 10 rebounds.
His other top performances included a 43-point outburst against rival Utah, 40 points against Kansas State in the Big 12 tournament, 29 points with game-altering defense against No. 6 Iowa State and a 33-point triple double against Eastern Washington.
In addition to his All-America recognition, Dybantsa was a First Team All-Big 12 selection, the league’s Freshman of the Year and received the Julius Erving Award as the best small forward in the country.
While his historic commitment to BYU in late 2024 generated both tremendous fanfare and steep expectations, it’s safe to say Dybantsa more than lived up to the hype during his time as a Cougar.
Expectations will remain high for Dybantsa in the NBA, as he is currently projected to be the top overall selection in June’s draft.
The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 10 and will determine which organization wins the Dybantsa sweepstakes. The five teams with the best lottery odds are the Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings.
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) high-fives fans as he exits the floor after the Cougars defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels during an NCAA men’s basketball exhibition game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
