The Washington Wizards wasted little time on the clock Tuesday night, selecting former BYU freshman star AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
In selecting Dybantsa over Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who were widely considered to be the top two prospects, the Wizards made him the third No. 1 overall pick in franchise histopry – joining John Wall (2010) and Kwame Brown (2001).
The Wizards have lost nearly 200 games over the past three seasons and were a woeful 17-65 last season. Prior to taking Dybantsa on Tuesday night, Washington has also traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis last season to help build around a young core of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly.
The 6-foot-9 Dybantsa 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 in Provo.
Washington has not earned a spot in the NBA Playoffs since a first-round exit in 2021. The Wizards haven’t won 50 games in a season since 1978-79 and have gone an NBA-worst 120-290 (.293) since 2021 – the worst record in the NBA in that span.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
