Top prospect A.J. Dybantsa commits to BYU. His dad could see him playing for the Suns next
Dec 10, 2024, 10:12 AM | Updated: 10:17 am
A.J. Dybantsa, the favorite to become the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, committed to the BYU Cougars and coach Kevin Young on Tuesday with an official announcement made on ESPN’s First Take.
Why BYU?
“A lot stood out on my visit. Obviously, coach Kevin Young there. My ultimate goal is to get to the NBA,” Dybantsa told ESPN after he pulled out a BYU hat and put it on his head. “He coached one of my favorite players — my favorite player of all-time — Kevin Durant. And (Young) had high praise about him when I went on my visits.”
The 6-foot-9, 200-pound wing said that Young’s staffers from the analytics, diet and strength departments all were pulled from the NBA. That appealed to him.
Dybantsa also told ESPN’s Paul Biancardi and Jeff Borzello he watched film of Durant and Devin Booker while visiting with Young at BYU.
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On air, Smith asked Dybantsa’s father where he could envision his son playing in the pros. The elder Dybantsa kept it linked to Young’s old NBA stomping grounds.
“I could see him on the Phoenix Suns,” Dybantsa’s dad said.
“They better not let me get KD as my vet,” A.J. retorted. “Don’t do that.”
Kansas, Kansas State, Alabama and North Carolina were in the running to land Dybantsa, but the wing chose to stick close to his high school, Utah Prep.
Young, who served as the top assistant coach in Phoenix at the end of the Monty Williams era and remained on Frank Vogel’s staff last season, accepted the BYU job before the Suns’ 2023-24 season was over.
BYU reportedly threw a seven-year, $30 million contract at the then-NBA head coach. He remained with the Suns through their first-round sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves and even welcomed BYU players and staffers to a playoff game.
He’s found immediate recruiting success since taking over, landing NBA prospects Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings for this season.
A.J. Dybantsa already has a connection to Suns star Kevin Durant
Dybantsa is already well-known and well-regarded in the pro basketball spaces.
Last offseason, he made the workout rounds as the top player in the 2026 recruiting class before reclassifying to enter college next season.
Dybantsa worked out with LeBron James, former Suns point guard Chris Paul and Durant, according to Adam Zagoria.
“Stay focused, make the game easier than what it is,”A.J. said, adding of Durant’s message” “We’re taller than everybody so don’t need to do all that extra dribbling, just one or two dribbles and get to your spot.”
Dybanta also participated last summer in the Jayson Tatum Camp, which included counselor Bradley Beal, who like Tatum is a St. Louis product.
