Potential No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa ready to leave his NBA allegiance behind: 'This is my last year being a Celtics fan'

While at Utah Prep, AJ Dybantsa turned heads as a five-star prospect and as the Rivals industry ranking’s No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class. If he wasn’t already, he became a household name at BYU this past season.

But the 6-foot-9 forward was on the rise long before he moved west. He emerged as an up-and-coming talent on the East Coast.

Hailing from Brockton, Massachusetts, shared this week at the NBA combine in Chicago that he was a Celtics fan growing up.

“So this is my last year being a Celtics fan,” he said. “I’m getting drafted this year, so — I mean, it might still be in me, but I won’t definitely be a fan as much.”

Dybantsa could very well be selected by the Washington Wizards with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. The Wizards, of course, are in the same conference as the Celtics. The last time Washington reached the Eastern Conference semifinals, it fell just short of the conference finals, dropping a Game 7 to who else but Boston during the 2016-17 season.

In Yahoo Sports’ latest NBA mock draft, Dybantsa is projected to, in fact, land with the Wizards, who traded for veteran All-Stars Trae Young and this season to complement their young core.