The Wizards’ top pick honors a family promise, juggling his multi-million dollar rookie contract with a rigorous online courseload to become the highest-drafted graduate in BYU history.
AJ Dybantsa is fulfilling a promise he made to his mother. The former BYU Cougars standout is working towards getting his college degree while spending time as an NBA rookie.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft has signed a four-year rookie-scale contract with the Washington Wizards worth $66.9 million. The contract includes $30.2 million guaranteed, with the final two seasons operating as team options. Dybantsa inked his deal right before the Fourth of July holiday, the team announced. He will make $14.7 million next season, according to Spotrac.
As great as those figures are for Dybantsa, his main focus is to walk away from BYU as a college graduate. Not as farfetched as many would believe with the advancement of online classes. Dybantsa recently told 7News Boston reporter Ari Alexander he plans to finish school in three and a half years.
Outside having one of the best calendar years, for Dybantsa, this is about carving a deeper path for his future. He went from being a one-and-done star to being the highest-drafted player in BYU history. Dybantsa was also the No. 1 high school recruit in the 2025 class.
The 6-foot-9 wing has attacked many bucket list items while being able to get his college degree as another one. Dybantsa was the second NBA lottery pick for BYU and coach Kevin Young during the course of his tenure. Egor Demin went eighth overall to the Brooklyn Nets last year. This is proof that the Cougars' NBA-ready blueprint is successful.
What set Dybantsa apart from the rest of this year's generational field was his athleticism and high basketball IQ. He was a consensus first-team All-American, averaging 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals. Not terrible considering he led the nation in scoring and had the third-most points as a freshman in NCAA history.
Dybantsa is the third Wizards player to be selected with the No. 1 pick. He joined Kwame Brown in 2001 and John Wall in 2010. As for BYU history, he's the only top pick, surpassing Shawn Bradley who went No. 2 overall in the 1993 NBA Draft.
Now that Dybantsa is under contract with the Wizards, he'll soon get to work with an NBA legend. Washington hired Patrick Ewing to take on an assistant position with the team. This marks his second stint with the franchise. The No. 1 overall pick of the New York Knicks in the 1985 NBA Draft joined his old team by taking an ambassador role.
After watching the dream of winning an NBA title fade away over the course of his 17-year career, Ewing won a ring with the Knicks before joining the Wizards this past summer. Now he'll play a major role in Dybantsa's development the same way BYU is doing off the court.
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