The 6-foot-9 freshman forward and potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, AJ Dybantsa (’29), is soaring—both on and off the court. With a towering vertical jump of 40.5 inches, the Massachusetts native also took a leap offaith by committing to BYU last December over basketball powerhouses like North Carolina or Alabama.
“Coach [Kevin] Young’s NBA background played a big factor in my decision. He came from the NBA. He coached NBA players,” Dybantsa told ESPN. “You cannot get any closer to where I want to be.”
As the first ever five-star recruit to commit to BYU, Dybantsa told ESPN that BYU’s Honor Code was an attractive factor for him, saying the clean campus culture would keep him focused on “almost entirely business.”
With two immigrant parents—Ace Dybantsa from Congo and Chelsea Dybantsa from Jamaica—AJ reflected to Deseret News how his parents “instilling hard work” into him is why he is able to achieve what he does. “I do everything for my family and with my family.”
