Former Brigham Young University forward AJ Dybantsa was named as the number one overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The draft serves as the main conveyor belt of basketball players from US College basketball teams and players competing in overseas leagues into the National Basketball Association (NBA).
In this year’s draft, 19 year old Dybantsa was picked number overall by the Washington Wizards who increased their odds to make the playoffs after picking Dybantsa who is of Congolese descent.
By going to Washington, Dybantsa, who averaged 25.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 35 games in college, gets to be paired with Anthony Davis, Trae Young and Alex Sarr.
As the number one overall pick, Dybantsa is set to sign a rookie scale contract worth $69 million across four years with an average salary of $17.25 million a season.
Reacting after being named the number one overall pick, Dybantsa said to ESPN,
“Being the No. 1 pick meant a lot to me. Obviously me being No. 1 throughout all my high school career, I definitely wanted to be a staple to be No. 1 in the NBA draft and be in the same conversation with LeBron James and Cooper Flagg, Allen Iverson and guys like that.”
