AJ Dybantsa visits temple open house with apostle

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) gestures to the crowd after the Cougars were eliminated by Texas 79-71 in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament held at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Though his BYU playing career may be over, AJ Dybantsa continues to endear himself to BYU fans — and this time, it’s for his actions off the court.

Dybantsa recently toured the Lindon Utah Temple open house with Elder Ronald A. Rasband of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, according to a post Dybantsa shared on X Thursday.

Photos showed Dybantsa and his father, Ace Dybantsa, at the temple with Elder Rasband.

“Thank you Elder Rasband,” AJ Dybantsa captioned the post.

The Dybantsas and Elder Rasband were also joined by BYU athletic director Brian Santiago, head basketball coach Kevin Young, teammate Richie Saunders, advancement vice president Keith Vorkink and each of their wives.

During a temple’s open house, its doors are opened to the public for tours. The Lindon Utah Temple’s open house runs through Saturday.

AJ Dybantsa isn’t the only BYU basketball star to meet with Elder Rasband in recent months.

In January, Egor Dëmin met with Elder Rasband while in Utah for the Brooklyn Nets’ game against the Utah Jazz, as the Deseret News previously reported.

“Very honored to meet Elder and Sister Rasband this last weekend. Thank you (Travis Hansen) and LaRee for making it possible!” Dëmin said.