{"id":2280,"date":"2026-06-25T18:06:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T18:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2280"},"modified":"2026-06-25T18:06:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T18:06:23","slug":"aj-dybantsa-recalls-what-was-going-through-his-mind-when-he-was-selected-first-overall-at-nba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2280","title":{"rendered":"AJ Dybantsa recalls what was going through his mind when he was selected first overall at NBA draft"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

AJ Dybantsa heard the words that few players in history can say have been uttered about them by the NBA commissioner: \u201cWith the first pick of the NBA draft….\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Which team will the U.S. face in the Round of 32 at the World Cup?<\/a><\/p>\n

The former BYU star joined elite company as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft on June 23 when the Washington Wizards selected him as what they hope will be a franchise savior.<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old from Massachusetts spoke on TODAY June 24 about what it was like to become the 80th No. 1 overall pick since the first draft in 1947. The moment was filled with some suspense, as Dybantsa was in the mix with two other players, Darryn Peterson of Kansas and Cameron Boozer of Duke, to be the No. 1 overall pick.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was super surreal,\u201d Dybantsa said. \u201cObviously you see it for years and years on TV, and for your name to get called, it\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hard work that propelled Dybantsa to the top of his draft class flashed through his mind when he heard NBA commissioner Adam Silver announce his name.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just kind of replaying all the memories in my head,\u201d he said. \u201cAll the sacrifices I made, all the practices, late nights, crying, all the blood, sweat and tears.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dybantsa also paid tribute to his father during his special moment. While he normally goes by AJ, he requested that Silver announce his draft selection by using his full name, Anicet Dybantsa Jr., in tribute to his father, Anicet \u201cAce\u201d Dybantsa Sr.<\/p>\n

The elder Dybantsa, who is serving as AJ\u2019s manager, was at the draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn with wife Chelsea and AJ\u2019s two sisters, Samarra and Jasmyn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s meant a lot, obviously just knowing them since birth, having my emotional support,\u201d Dybantsa said. \u201cThem supporting me along with my sisters, it\u2019s been great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chelsea and Ace were also there on TODAY to watch their son\u2019s interview as they beamed with pride. They shared their reaction to hearing him announced as the league\u2019s No. 1 overall pick.<\/p>\n

\u201cNervous, very, very nervous,\u201d Chelsea said. \u201cBut we\u2019re just happy to be here. He worked so hard and we\u2019re proud of him, but he should be proud of himself no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Sports<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe made a lot of sacrifices, and I told him all the time, you work hard it will pay off, and here we are,\u201d his father said.<\/p>\n

Dybantsa is the first No. 1 overall pick by the Wizards since former All-Star guard John Wall in 2010.<\/p>\n

Becoming the No. 1 pick in what experts have considered a stacked draft class is the latest impressive milestone in Dybantsa\u2019s rise.<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-9 wing led the NCAA in scoring with 25.5 points per game in his lone college season at BYU this past winter. He was named a first-team All-American and first-team All-Big 12.<\/p>\n

Dybantsa was considered the nation\u2019s No. 1 recruit coming out of Utah Prep before he signed with BYU, so he has been on the NBA radar since he was in high school.<\/p>\n

He hopes to bring instant offense to a moribund Wizards franchise that has not had a winning season since 2017-18 and is coming off a 17-65 season, the worst of any team in the NBA.<\/p>\n

After being drafted by the Wizards, Dybantsa said he heard from head coach Brian Keefe along with star point guard Trae Young, who just signed a\u00a0four-year, $212.9 million contract\u00a0with Washington after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks. Dybantsa said he also heard from rising young talents Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George after being selected by the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just excited to meet me, come watch me play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not quite on the group text yet, though.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey called from another person\u2019s phone,\u201d he said to laughter from TODAY\u2019s Craig Melvin, Al Roker and Dylan Dreyer.<\/p>\n

Dybantsa also shared that he\u2019s eager to face off against one player in particular.<\/p>\n

\u201cKevin Durant is my favorite player,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old already has one accolade over Durant. The Houston Rockets star and future Hall of Famer was the No. 2 pick of the 2007 NBA draft.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe got drafted when I was born,\u201d Dybantsa said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 19-year-old from Massachusetts spoke on TODAY June 24 about what it was like to become the 80th No. 1 overall pick since the first draft in 1947.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nAJ Dybantsa recalls what was going through his mind when he was selected first overall at NBA draft - Jacksonville Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2280\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AJ Dybantsa recalls what was going through his mind when he was selected first overall at NBA draft - 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