AJ Dybantsa arrived in Washington with the weight of a No. 1 pick and the calm of a player already treating the NBA like his workplace. The Wizards introduced the 19-year-old BYU star Thursday at a hotel along the Potomac River, roughly a mile and a half from the club’s home floor, two days after selecting him first overall in the NBA draft.
AJ Dybantsa gives Wizards a new No. 1
Dybantsa steps into a rebuild that has been searching for a centerpiece. Washington had not owned the first selection since taking John Wall in 2010, and the franchise has not reached 50 wins in a season since 1979. The Wizards have totaled only 50 wins across the last three seasons, leaving plenty of room for a young scorer to become the face of the next phase.
“Nothing is handed to you,” Dybantsa said, framing himself as one part of the work ahead. “I want to be in that rebuild and help solve the puzzle. The fans here have waited a long time.”
His jersey number was settled at the introduction. Dybantsa wore No. 3 at BYU, but that number belongs to Washington teammate Trae Young. The rookie will instead wear No. 4, a nod to adding his draft position to his old number.
The scoring resume is already substantial. Dybantsa put up 25.5 points per game in college and became the first freshman to lead the nation in scoring since Young did it at Oklahoma during the 2017-18 season. Now they will share a locker room, with Dybantsa expected to get his first look at NBA minutes soon after Washington’s offseason program begins.
Long before the draft stage, a Spider-Man hoop helped point him toward this path. His father bought him an over-the-door hoop when he was around 5, and Dybantsa began taking shots from his bed with a miniature ball before moving into YMCA leagues.
“I was a huge Spider-Man kid,” Dybantsa said. “I started shooting on that little hoop, then I got into YMCA basketball and fell for the game. Spider-Man is really why basketball became such a big thing for me.”
That focus showed up during the pre-draft process. Dybantsa said his father told him to approach the combine as his first employment interview, so the forward wore a suit and tie to every team meeting and media session.
Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said the club noticed more than the wardrobe. Dybantsa’s questions in those meetings stood out for their depth, Dawkins said, reflecting the curiosity and maturity Washington saw in its new top pick.
Dybantsa also plans to complete his college degree through online coursework. Away from the court, he has already created a foundation intended to help young people pursue education. His mother is Jamaican and his father is from Congo, and his first goal is to send 20 students from those places to universities in Africa, Jamaica or the United States before expanding the initiative internationally.
“We want to start by helping 20 kids get to college,” Dybantsa said. “Then we want to keep growing it and help young people everywhere.”
SEO Title: AJ Dybantsa introduced by Wizards after No. 1 NBA draft selection
SEO Description: No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa joins the Washington Wizards, switches to No. 4 and outlines his plans on and off the court.
