The race to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft kicked into high gear on Thursday as BYU superstar A.J. Dybantsa announced he’s leaving college after 1 season.
Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 small forward, averaged 25.5 points per game in his lone college season to go with 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
“BYU’s AJ Dybantsa the potential No. 1 pick — has declared for the 2026 NBA draft,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote on his official X account.
Yahoo Sports NBA Senior Analyst Kevin O’Connor has Dybantsa going No. 1 overall in his latest NBA mock draft to the Chicago Bulls.
“If the Bulls are lucky enough to move up from the ninth-best odds, it’d be hard to imagine them taking anyone but Dybantsa, who led the nation in scoring as a freshman by averaging 25.5 points for a top-25 team,” O’Connor wrote. “At 6-foot-9, players his size are not supposed to move with the herky-jerky elasticity that Dybantsa does. He can dunk over defenders. He can stop on a dime and fade away from midrange. And he can catch fire from behind the line too.”
BYU Paid A.J. Dybantsa Unreal Sum in NIL Deal
Dybantsa’s NIL deal with BYU — he was reportedly paid around $7 million — was what may have been keeping him on the fence about leaving school early for the NBA.
There was some thought Dybantsa could have landed a 1-year, $10 million contract were he to return for a 2nd college season — but even that pales in comparison to what he’ll get if he’s drafted No. 1 overall.
The 2025 No. 1 overall pick, Duke forward Cooper Flagg, received a fully guaranteed 4-year, $62.7 million contract from the Dallas Mavericks.
“Last year, there was a report the former five-star secured a $7 million offer to be at BYU for the 2025-26 season,” Yahoo’s Jeff Hauser wrote on March 20. “While this is true in its entirety, not all the money came from the university The Cougars’ NIL package to Dybantsa was significant, but was also supplemented by Nike, Red Bull, and to other top-tier companies and made the total around $7 million, according to Front Office Sports. This would make a majority of those commenting about whether he was ‘worth a first-round loss’ sound pretty foolish.”
Potential No. 1 Picks Not Named A.J. Dybantsa
Dybantsa isn’t the only 1 in the hunt for the No. 1 overall pick — he’s 1 of 4 players who seem like they could be selected with the top pick.
Along with Dybantsa, North Carolina power forward Caleb Wilson, Duke power forward Cameron Boozer, and Kansas shooting guard Darryn Peterson are all in the hunt.
Of those 4 players, Peterson seems like he will be the most dissected of those picks headed into the draft, with O’Connor predicting he will fall to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 4 overall.
“Between the cramping saga, the missed time, the lack of apparent athletic pop, and the stretches where he played heavy minutes but struggled to produce offensively, there’s a lot to be concerned about,” O’Connor wrote. “But the pre-draft period could answer any questions. And for the Thunder, he could be worth the swing anyway. Because if he’s a hit, SGA-Peterson would have the upside to be the NBA’s best backcourt for the next decade. And if he doesn’t, SGA-Williams already does.”
BYU Star and Projected No. 1 Pick A.J. Dybantsa Declares for NBA Draft