AJ Dybantsa is the No. 1 pick on a big NBA draft night for freshman stars and Michigan’s champions

 

NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with AJ Dybantsa after he is drafted first overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2026 NBA Draft in New York.

Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

New YorkAP —  

AJ Dybantsa is on his way to Washington and ready to start working as soon as he gets there.

That’s not until Wednesday. Tuesday was a night for the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick to party.

“Obviously this night is just a celebration of all the hard work I’ve done in the past, and so now I’m going to celebrate,” Dybantsa said.

So were a record number of one-and-done college stars who followed him, a trio of national champions from Michigan and fans of both New York teams on what sounded like an even more festive NBA draft than usual.

The Wizards started it by selecting Dybantsa, a forward who led the nation in scoring in his one season at BYU. He averaged 25.5 points, highlighted by a 43-point effort that broke BYU’s freshman scoring record, and was the first of a record-tying eight straight college freshman taken to begin the draft.