AJ Dybantsa believes he is No. 1, and that belief sets him apart

“I’ve never had a job before,” Dybantsa said. “I was 13 when I started taking basketball serious. This is like my first job interview. So, my dad was like, ‘This is your job interview. So, come professional, come suited.”

But in the same breath that Dybantsa will tell you how hard he works and how much he strives to make those around him better, he will tell you that he deserves to be the No. 1 pick and that whatever team selects him will be getting a star that the fans will be drawn to.

“I’m super versatile as a player, I can guard one through four, play one through four. I think I could play a little bit of combo guard if you need me to, I think I could be that jumbo wing if you need me to,” he said. “I play the game the right way. I try to play to win, try to make my teammates better. But I’m super exciting as a player, super explosive. I fill seats.”

And not far behind Dybantsa, everywhere he goes, is a personal videographer, documenting every word, every joke, every interaction, every highlight. Much of that ends up on Dybantsa’s YouTube page, where he has 37.5K subscribers.

That confidence, bravado, self-assuredness — whatever you want to call it — can be perceived differently depending on whose opinion you’re seeking. There are NBA bigwigs who have dealt with players in the past who have become prima donnas, who have see bravado turn into selfishness and seen players that aren’t able to deal with the learning curve presented by the NBA.

On the other hand, there is always a certain level of inflated ego that all professional athletes need in order to be successful, and some of the most successful of all time have a self belief that surpasses that of those around them.

There are NBA decision makers who see Dybantsa as savvy to the ways that will make him successful at the next level. They see him as smart and thinking one step ahead. They see his bravado and confidence as earned and are delighted by the kind of competitor he is and how even more ferocious and confident he could become on an NBA court.

There are masses of NBA executives who want a player that strives to be No. 1 and knows his own worth and own potential. They want a player who when he is asked what his goals for an NBA career are, he doesn’t even pause to think.

“As an NBA player? Oh, a Hall of Famer.”

A Hall of Famer, a future multi-time All-Star, a potential MVP. That’s the kind of player that a team wants when they use the top pick in the draft. And Dybantsa has a body of work that backs up his belief in himself.

All of the drafts top-selecting teams have met with Dybantsa, including the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz who are picking No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the June 23 draft. But when it comes down to it, Dybantsa isn’t thinking about who the team is on the other side of the pick.

He wants to be No. 1. Period.

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) looks to pass around West Virginia Mountaineers guard Chance Moore (13) during the first half of the game in the second round of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News