BYU Cougars star AJ Dybantsa is seemingly unimpressed with how the 2026 NBA Draft lottery went, according to his viral reaction on social media. On Sunday, May 10, this year’s draft lottery was held at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois. During the annual event, most of the attention is on the order for the first 14 picks of the draft, which are considered lottery picks, followed by the rest of the first round.
Since he is projected to be at least within the top three picks of the draft, Dybantsa made an appearance during the lottery selection. Being from Boston, Massachusetts and playing for BYU, there is a possibility that Dybantsa would want to get drafted by the Utah Jazz or any franchise close to home. As it turns out, the first overall pick has fallen into the hands of the Washington Wizards.
Since then, Dybantsa’s reaction to the Wizards getting the first pick has sparked conversations all over X/Twitter.
Whether or not he does end up getting selected by the Wizards, Dybantsa has surely made his case to be the top pick in the 2026 draft. This is based off his lone year with coach Kevin Young’s Cougars, where he led them in scoring with a league-high 25.5 points per game. Dybantsa then helped BYU reach the first round of the NCAA tournament, before eventually finishing the year with a 23-12 (9-9 Big 12) record.
AJ Dybantsa reflected on how the BYU Cougars prepared him for the NBA
In an interview with Krysten Peek of NBA.com during the draft lottery, AJ Dybantsa was asked about how his short time in college basketball helped him prepare for the NBA. Dybantsa detailed that coach Kevin Young actually hired personnel from different NBA teams to help him during his one-and-done season. With this, Dybantsa feels that BYU was able to give him a program that has made him ready for the next level.
“My ultimate goal is the NBA and after they hired coach Kevin Young, they hired a strength coach from the Milwaukee Bucks, a dietitian from the Suns, analytics from the Suns. Coach Young just started stacking prototypes around us and I wanted to learn in the best environment to prepare for the league and I think I got that from BYU,” Dybantsa was quoted as saying.
Read More:
AJ Dybantsa’s Ambition to Play With Victor Wembanyama Shocks Stephen A. Smith
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
