Wizards Select BYU's Dybantsa with No. 1 Overall Pick in NBA Draft

The Washington Wizards selected BYU forward AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft on Tuesday night, capping a busy week for Southeast Division teams. Dybantsa, a 206-centimeter forward who led the nation in scoring during his freshman season at BYU, averaged 25.5 points per game and scored a career-high 43 points in a game that broke the school's freshman scoring record. His selection represents a potential turning point for a Wizards franchise that last won an NBA title in 1978 and has not won 50 games since 1979.

Dybantsa, whose full name is Anicet Francois Dybantsa Jr., expressed confidence in his selection, stating he had long believed he would be the top pick. "I was super confident. I've been betting on myself for a while," he said. "Since around ninth grade I've been the No. 1, so I really didn't plan on falling in the draft." The 6-foot-9, 217-pound forward has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant, his favorite player, a particularly symbolic choice given Durant's Washington, D.C. roots and the city's long wait for a dominant franchise player.

Washington had won the draft lottery and faced speculation that the Utah Jazz might attempt to trade up from the No. 2 pick to select Dybantsa, but the Wizards retained their selection. Dybantsa joins a young Wizards core that includes Alex Sarr, drafted second overall in 2024, along with recent first-round picks such as Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Will Riley, and Cam Whitmore. The team also acquired point guard Trae Young before the 2025-26 season, though the squad posted a disappointing 50-196 record over the previous three seasons during its major reconstruction.

Dybantsa's arrival marked the beginning of a historic freshman-dominated draft class. He was the first of a record-tying eight straight college freshmen taken to start the draft, matching the record set the previous year. Fellow freshman Darryn Peterson of Kansas was selected second overall by Utah, followed by Duke's Cameron Boozer at No. 3 to Memphis and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson at No. 4 to Chicago.

The Wizards' selection came amid significant activity across the Southeast Division. The Miami Heat acquired star Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday in exchange for a massive haul of players and draft picks. The Atlanta Hawks agreed to acquire wing Aaron Wiggins from Oklahoma City and extended guard C.J. McCollum for one year at $21 million. Washington also agreed to a four-year contract extension with Trae Young. The Orlando Magic entered the draft without a first-round pick after trading four first-round selections to Memphis in 2025 for Desmond Bane, but introduced new coach Sean Sweeney on Thursday.