The Washington Wizards selected AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn Tuesday night, choosing the BYU freshman forward over Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, who went No. 2 to Utah, and Duke's Cameron Boozer, who went No. 3 to Memphis.
The 6-foot-9 standout averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 51 percent from the field in his lone collegiate season, the first player to lead Division I in scoring and go first in the draft since Glenn Robinson came out of Purdue in 1994.
He is also the first No. 1 pick in NBA Draft history to come from BYU, surpassing former No. 2 picks Shawn Bradley and Mel Hutchins as the highest-drafted Cougar in program history.
Dybantsa, 19, from Brockton, Massachusetts, chose BYU over North Carolina, Kansas, USC and Auburn after his senior year of high school at Utah Prep.
His defining moment came in the Big 12 Tournament where he scored 93 points across three games over three days, breaking Kevin Durant's conference scoring record, before BYU fell to Houston in the quarterfinals.
That stretch locked up his status as the top prospect in the class.
He arrives in Washington alongside Trae Young, who signed a four-year, $212 million extension on the eve of the draft, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson.
The Wizards finished 17-65 last season, their third straight with 64 or more losses, and have not had a winning season since 2017-18.
The rebuild has been deliberate and painful. Dybantsa is the reason it was worth it.
"Making the NBA has been a dream of mine since I was a young kid so I can't wait to get to work and start the journey," he said after being selected. He joins John Wall and Kwame Brown as Washington's only No. 1 overall picks.