How AJ Dybantsa plans to work with Trae Young, Anthony Davis to build ‘something great’
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Winners & LosersRound 2 MockLive Picks TrackerBest Available PlayersDybantsa Goes No. 1Q&AHow AJ Dybantsa plans to work with Trae Young, Anthony Davis to build ‘something great’
AJ Dybantsa led Division I in scoring as a BYU freshman, averaging 25.5 points per game. Brad Penner / Imagn Images
By Josh RobbinsJune 24, 2026 Updated 10:40 am EDTNEW YORK — AJ Dybantsa insists he didn’t know for certain when his name would be called Tuesday night until commissioner Adam Silver said the special words: “With the first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Washington Wizards select Anicet Dybantsa Jr.”
Dybantsa had imagined that exact moment, becoming the first pick in the draft, for years.
So, how did the moment compare to what he had envisioned in his dreams?
“The reality is way better,” Dybantsa told The Athletic, a Wizards cap still atop his head. “I’ve been dreaming about this since I was about 12 years old. And seven years later, I’m accomplishing my dream, and it just feels super surreal, and I’m just happy I got to spend it with my family.”
His joy shone through in the seconds after Silver spoke. He hugged his mom, Chelsea; his godparents; his older sister, Samarra; his younger sister, Jasmyn; and, finally, his dad, Anicet Sr., nicknamed Ace.
AJ asked league officials to use his given name when he was drafted as a way of honoring his father. On his custom-made Kenzo suit, near his left lapel, he wore a pin of the flag of the Republic of the Congo, where his dad is from, and a pin of the flag of Jamaica, where his mom is from. He wore a blue heart-shaped “TC5” pin on his right lapel to honor Terrence Clarke, an older-brother figure also from the Boston area and a standout basketball player in his own right, who died in a car crash in 2021 at the age of 19.
Dybantsa, whose last name is pronounced dee-BON-suh and who is from Brockton, Mass., had been connected with the Wizards as the presumptive No. 1 pick ever since the franchise won the NBA Draft Lottery on May 10. The team drafted him with the hope that he will develop into a foundational player.
But his heartfelt embraces with his family members, the pins on his suit jacket and nearly choking up when he described his father’s influence on him served as poignant reminders that the Wizards drafted a multidimensional human being, too.
AJ Dybantsa honored his parents and his late friend Terrence Clarke on draft night. (Brad Penner / Imagn Images)The years ahead will allow the Wizards and the team’s fans to get to know him better, on and off the court. In that spirit, to jump-start that process, The Athletic caught up with Dybantsa for a one-on-one interview after he was picked. The conversation, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity, started with a question about his family.
You hugged your mom, your sisters, your godparents and your dad. What does it mean to you to be able to share this with all of them?
They’ve been with me since the start, literally. My sisters haven’t given up on me. My parents haven’t given up on me. They’ve made a whole bunch of sacrifices that don’t go unnoticed. So I had to show them a lot of love today.
You had a poignant moment when you were doing the news conference when you were talking about your dad. For people who are just getting to know you, which is all of Washington, what influence has he had on your life?
He put a basketball in my hand around 5 years old and started putting me through these intense workouts. I had no idea why he was doing it, but, obviously, it all paid off. I just give the utmost thanks to him, and I think we have a super-cool relationship, and I’m just happy to call him my father.
Do you have a message for Wizards fans?
I’m ready. I think that we can do some big things in the future. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’re building something great.
People are only beginning to get to know you in D.C. What do you want them to know about you?
As a basketball player, I’m super versatile. I can do a lot of things on the court. But off the court, I just like the community. I like helping out the community. I do a lot of givebacks with Nike and a bunch of back-to-school givebacks, and that’s why I think I fit in with Washington, because when I came in to visit, they told me they do a lot of stuff in the community.
What’s your impression of what the Wizards would like to see from you on the court?
A little bit of everything. Obviously, (with Washington) re-signing Trae (Young), I think I can be an off-ball threat offensively. But also defensively, they’re challenging me to guard 94 feet. They showed me a couple clips of Jamir Watkins guarding 94 feet, navigating screens, just being in the low-man position to get some blocks and steals.
To have veterans like Trae and Anthony Davis on the roster, how does that impact a young guy coming into the league?
Entering the league is not going to be easy, but I think it’s going to be easier with vets. You don’t want to go into this league alone and not know what you’re doing and having nobody with experience telling you what to do. So having an All-Star point guard like Trae Young and having an NBA champion like A.D., I think I can just pick their brain a lot.
What do you want the world to know about the person Terrence Clarke was?
His smile lit up a room. He was always doing stuff for the community, and he was going to be the one before me that was coming out of Boston, and I think he would have been doing great things in the league. But legends never die. So, I wanted to honor him today.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
