AJ Dybantsa says he has not made NBA draft decision yet: 'I haven’t talked to my mom'

BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa has a decision to make on whether he will declare for the 2026 NBA Draft or return for another year of college basketball, but it’s not entirely his decision, it’s his mom’s. Dybantsa announced on Yahoo Daily on Tuesday that he and his mother, Chelsea, have not yet decided where he will play basketball next year.

“I haven’t talked to my mom. She has pretty much been making a lot of my decisions in life for me,” Dybantsa said.

Dybantsa also agreed that he is willing to stay all four years to earn his degree.

“I know she wants me to graduate college, so I don’t know if she is basing it off of, ‘Yeah, you’re going to stay in school to graduate or if she just wants me to go accomplish my dreams,” Dybantsa said. “Who knows.”

Chelsea has helped Dybantsa with many decisions, such as where he should attend high school. He spent time at Saint Sebastian's (MA), Prolific Prep (CA), and Utah Prep. The 19-year-old also said his mother confirmed BYU was a good fit after he decided to go there because of the Cougars’ head coach, Kevin Young, and their NBA-experienced coaching staff. Young also coached Kevin Durant, whom Dybantsa said he looked up to growing up, during his time with the Phoenix Suns.

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Dybantsa’s father, Anicet “Ace” Dybantsa Sr., has also helped him navigate the NIL world without a traditional agent.

Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 51.0% from the field. He was named to the AP All-First Team after his freshman season, alongside Duke freshman Cam Boozer and Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff.

Dybantsa carried most of the scoring load for BYU after senior guard Richie Saunders went down with a season ending torn ACL late in the season. He broke Durant’s Big 12 tournament freshman scoring record this season, despite only playing three games in the conference tournament. Most of Dybantsa’s points came in his 40 point game over Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, it was his second 40-point game at BYU.

BYU finished the season with a loss to Texas in the round of 64, who advanced to the Sweet 16.

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Dybantsa is one of the favorites to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. There has been a lot of speculation linking him to the Utah Jazz, as he has played in the state since his senior year of high school. The Jazz are 21-56 and are expected to be in the mix for a lottery pick. Despite his strong freshman season, Dybantsa has not thought much about his NBA team fit.

“I’m on social media, and I see people putting me in different jerseys. I see all the edits,” Dybantsa said about NBA speculation. “I just try to tune it out because I don’t even know what I’m doing. I can’t really get too excited or anything like that until it’s a firm decision.”

Dybantsa’s decision will ultimately be made when his mom makes one.