Washington pairs BYU’s dynamic scoring sensation with Trae Young, securing their first top pick since John Wall to ignite a new era of contention in the capital.
The first pick of the 2026-27 NBA Draft is in and to no one's surprise, the first player off the board is college basketball's most dynamic scorer.
The Washington Wizards selected BYU Cougars star AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall selection in the NBA Draft.
For more on the selection and what it means for Washington's hopes moving forward, Wizards Roundtable writer Ahmed Ghafir has the latest.
This is the first time that Washington has held the No. 1 overall selection in the draft since taking guard John Wall at the top of the 2010-11 NBA Draft. Wall is known as one of the best players to ever don a Wizards uniform and Washington's hopes are that Dybantsa will follow in his footsteps.
The 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward arrives in Washington days after the Wizards' star guard Trae Young signed a multi-year extension.
Washington can now hope that the combination of Dybantsa and Young will pave the way for a bright future for the franchise, who could be the last instance of the NBA's worst record earning the No. 1 overall draft selection for some time after the NBA's recent adjustments to draft lottery odds.
Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points per game during his lone college season with BYU in 2025. He added 6.8 rebounds per game along 3.7 assists per contest while shooting 51% from the field, including 33.1% from three-point range.
The Wizards now have a strong core of players around which to build as they look to create a contender in the nation's capital.
