NEW YORK — The Washington Wizards selected BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, hoping to pair the nation's leading scorer with two veteran, yet injury-plagued All-Stars already on the roster.
Dybansta is the 14th one-and-done player since 2010 to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick and the second straight following Cooper Flagg, who was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and won the NBA's Rookie of the Year award.
This is the third time the Wizards have had the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft in the common draft era (since 1966). They previously selected Kwame Brown (2001) and John Wall (2010) with the first overall pick.
The 19-year-old Dybansta, who averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists for the Cougars on 51% shooting, is the first BYU player to be drafted in the top 10 of the NBA draft since Jimmer Fredette went 10th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2011.
Dybantsa is going to a Washington franchise sorely in need of good fortune. The Wizards have missed the postseason in each of the last five seasons and haven't won a playoff series since beating the Atlanta Hawks in the 2017 first round.
The Wizards have decisions to make in the offseason.
The first was guard Trae Young, who declined his $48.97 million player option for next season and opted to become an unrestricted free agent. But Young isn't going anywhere, as he reportedly plans to sign a four-year, $212 million deal to stay with Washington.
Forward Anthony Davis, who was acquired in a blockbuster February trade, did not play a minute with Washington, as the 33-year-old 10-time All-Star was sidelined because of an injury to his left hand. His status with the team moving forward is up in the air, as he is owed $120 million over the next two seasons, including a player option.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AJ Dybantsa selected with top pick in 2026 NBA Draft
