AJ Dybantsa is the No. 1 pick on a
big NBA draft night for freshman stars and Michigan's champions
[June 24, 2026]
By BRIAN MAHONEY
NEW YORK (AP) — 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.
That matched the record set last year. Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9
was the first non-freshman.
“I think down the road we can continue to do this,” Dybantsa said.
“They are comparing us to a certain amount of draft classes.
Obviously we have to see how that plays out and how we do in the
league, but if we talk it into existence, I think that would be
pretty special.”
At 6-foot-9 and 217 pounds, Dybantsa has drawn comparisons to Kevin
Durant, who happens to be his favorite player. Durant grew up in the
Washington area, and Wizards fans can only hope Dybantsa can live up
to the comparisons.
They certainly hope he will be better than center Kwame Brown, the
pick Washington made in 2001, the first time it had the No. 1
selection after the NBA changed draft formats to eliminate
territorial picks in 1966. The Wizards took John Wall in 2010 the
other time, and he did turn into an All-Star.
Dybantsa — who was called by his full name, Anicet Dybantsa Jr., in
tribute to his father — appeared to say a quick prayer after his
name was announced, then went on stage to greet Commissioner Adam
Silver and slipped on a black Wizards hat that matched nicely with
his black suit.
Dybantsa beat out fellow freshman Darryn Peterson of Kansas, who was
taken at the No. 2 pick by Utah. While some thought Peterson had the
most talent in the class, the guard missed 11 games during the
season because of injuries and illness, potentially creating some
questions that Dybantsa didn't have.
“I can’t go back and change anything now,” Peterson said. “Obviously
I wanted to be the No. 1 pick, but I went No. 2. So now I’m prepared
to go to Utah and get to work.”
Cameron Boozer, the college player of the year in his one season at
Duke, was taken at No. 3 by Memphis. Caleb Wilson, another freshman
forward from rival North Carolina, went to Chicago with the next
pick.
Those players were the expected top four throughout the pre-draft
process, though there was certainly a case for Peterson to go first
with his promise. Or for Boozer, with his body of work after he put
up 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for Duke,
where his father, Carlos, also played before becoming a two-time NBA
All-Star.
The uncertainty was expected to begin at No. 5. The Los Angeles
Clippers acquired the rights to it after a trade with the Indiana
Pacers and used it on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. The host
Brooklyn Nets then went with Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr.
[to top of second column] |
AJ Dybantsa, right, poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam
Silver, left, after being selected by the Washington Wizards as the
first pick in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday,
June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Michigan's men make their mark
Darius Acuff Jr. to Sacramento at No. 7 and Kingston Flemings to
Atlanta at No. 8 continued the run of scoring guards before Dallas
went back to the bigs — and created a reunion in the process — by
taking Morez Johnson Jr. from Michigan. Johnson was congratulated by
national champion Michigan teammates Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara,
who were also in the green room, and then hugged his old and new
coach. Dusty May left the Wolverines to coach the Mavericks on the
eve of the draft.
Lendeborg and Mara didn't have to wait long for their turn. The
Golden State Warriors took Lendenborg with the No. 11 pick and the
Oklahoma City Thunder followed by going for the 7-3 Mara.
“We got our ultimate goal of winning the national championship and
we just got drafted together, all lottery picks,” Johnson said. “I’m
proud of my brothers, and I’m very excited to see what our future
has for us.”
Cheers for the New Yorkers, but not for the Spurs
The draft is always a celebration, when all teams have hope, but the
cheers seemed even more frequent than usual. They began when Silver
opened his remarks by hailing the NBA champion Knicks and NBA Finals
MVP Jalen Brunson, with a number of fans in Barclays Center wearing
Knicks jerseys. Nets fans, who endured a miserable season watching
the home team in the arena, applauded the selection of Brown, who
had a 45-point performance to highlight his season that was cut
short by a back injury.
The Nets also acquired the rights to Iowa State forward Joshua
Jefferson, the No. 28 pick, from Minnesota through a three-team
trade agreed to Monday in which the Nets will get Julius Randle from
the Timberwolves.
Beyond some brief jeers for Silver that pro sports commissioners
often get at the start of their drafts, there weren't any until it
was announced that the San Antonio Spurs, who lost to the Knicks in
the finals, were on the clock. Loud boos broke out that continued
when it was announced that the Spurs took forward Jayden Quaintance,
who played in just four games for Kentucky last season because of a
knee injury.
From Milwaukee to Mexico
The Milwaukee Bucks, who are losing two-time NBA MVP Giannis
Antetokounmpo, picked up two rookies. They took Arizona guard
Brayden Burries with the No. 10 pick and are acquiring the rights to
Tennessee forward Nate Ament, who was taken at No. 13 by Miami but
is part of the package the Heat are sending to Milwaukee in the
trade for Antetokounmpo that was agreed to Monday.
Karim López became the first Mexican-born player drafted in the
first round. The 6-8 forward, who spent the last two seasons playing
with the New Zealand Breakers, was taken by Detroit and his rights
were acquired by Memphis.
The second round will be held Wednesday night.
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