The rest of the world expects AJ Dybantsa will be shaking hands with Adam Silver come June — perhaps before any other player — yet the BYU phenom is saying to slow down.
The freshman college hoops star said it’s not a done deal yet when asked recently about the possibility of being the No. 1 pick in the loaded 2026 draft class.
“I might not leave college,” Dybantsa said with a smile on the “Deseret Voices” podcast posted Tuesday. “I just gotta wait until the end of the season.”
He added: “They can assume. I ain’t say anything.”
Before you go penciling in BYU as the No. 1 team in the country next season, these comments are more likely just a freshman indicating, “Well, it’s not official” than an actual debate.
Players in the mix to go No. 1, with Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and Duke’s Cameron Boozer also in the running, hardly ever return to college.
Even with Dybantsa rumored to have received in the range of $5 million to $7 million in his Name, Image and Likeness package to attend BYU, that’s not even close to what he could make if he’s drafted No. 1.
Last year’s No. 1 selection, Cooper Flagg, signed a four-year $62.7 million contract with the Mavericks, No. 2 pick Dylan harper signed a four-year, $56.1 million deal with the Spurs and the third player selected, VJ Edgecombe, inked a four-year, $50.4 million contract with the 76ers.
Dybantsa even said in the podcast that he cares about being drafted No. 1.
The main impetus behind him possibly returning is his mother, who has one goal she wants him to accomplish before leaving Provo.
He also mentioned the fan base treating him well.
“My mom wants me to graduate,” Dybantsa said on the podcast. “So, I might not leave, but I might leave. The fans get in my head, talk about one more year, maybe three more years, I don’t know.
“But I’m going to have to talk to my mom. … She wants me to get my degree.”
Dybantsa could always come back and receive his degree, and he revealed that he’s already talking with NBA players for advice navigating the season.
He mentioned longtime NBA star Russell Westbrook among those who have told him how they would defend him at the next level.
“They kind of just gave me advice on how to continue through the Big 12 and stay on pace for things and try to tell me to keep going and what I can do to improve,” he said on the podcast. “They actually told me, I’m not going to spill the sauce on what they would do to me in the NBA and I should fix now.”
Before he makes his decision, he will attempt to lead an underachieving BYU team to a title.
Despite the freshman’s brilliance, with Dybantsa averaging 24.8 points per game, BYU is just 20-10 overall and 8-9 in the Big 12.
The Cougars are no longer ranked after losing eight of their last 11, but Dybantsa said he still believes BYU can win the national title.
BYU is a projected No. 6 seed in ESPN’s latest bracket.
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