WASHINGTON — Long before basketball took center stage in AJ Dybantsa’s life, he was just a kid with a love for a famous fictional web-slinger.
Around age five, his father picked up a Spider-Man basketball hoop that attached to the back of a bedroom door — and that small gift sparked something big.
“I loved Spider-Man growing up. So I just started shooting from my bed, started shooting from my bed with this miniature ball. Then I started playing in the YMCA leagues … ended up falling in love with the game,” Dybantsa said. “So Spider-Man is the reason why I love basketball.”
The Washington Wizards couldn’t be more thankful for that childhood toy. Two days after selecting the 6-foot-9 BYU standout with the first overall pick in the NBA draft, the organization formally welcomed him Thursday at a hotel along the Potomac River, roughly a mile and a half from the team’s home arena.
“Nothing comes easy, but I want to be a piece of the puzzle that is part of the rebuild,” Dybantsa said. “Obviously, Wizards fans have been waiting for a long time.”
It marks the first time Washington has held the top draft spot since 2010, when the team selected John Wall. The Wizards have not won 50 games in a single season since 1979, and over the past three seasons combined, the franchise has managed just 50 total victories.
One lingering question was settled at Thursday’s event. Dybantsa wore No. 3 during his college career, but that number is already taken in Washington by teammate Trae Young. The new Wizard will instead don No. 4.
“Previously wore No. 3, but I was the No. 1 pick,” Dybantsa explained with a smile. “Wanted to add those up, and we got four.”
During his college season, Dybantsa put up 25.5 points per game, becoming the first freshman to top the country in scoring since Young himself accomplished the feat at Oklahoma during the 2017-18 season.
Thursday’s introduction gave fans a glimpse not just of a basketball player, but of the young man they’ll be counting on to lead a turnaround. Dybantsa came across as confident and personable, with a clear drive to get to work — an attitude that was already on display before the draft at the league combine.
“It was like a job. My dad was like, ‘This is your first job interview,’” Dybantsa recalled. “So we decided to dress up. I went to a suit and tie in every single interview. Media availability, that was in a suit and tie. So I just wanted to treat it like a real job.”
That approach left a strong impression on Wizards general manager Will Dawkins.
“It was a pretty fun first introduction, just to learn the maturity that he brings,” Dawkins said. “We allow opportunities to ask questions. Sometimes you get the standard questions from guys. We didn’t get that from AJ. He’s just curious and mature and asked some really deep questions.”
Dybantsa also shared that he plans to complete his college degree by studying online. The 19-year-old has already established a foundation focused on uplifting young people globally, inspired by his own family roots.
“My mom’s from Jamaica, my dad’s from Congo. We’re going to start off just sending 20 kids from there to different universities,” he said. “If that’s universities in the continent of Africa, if that’s different universities in Jamaica, if that’s universities in the States, we’re going to try that. But after those two, we’re just going to expand all around the world. We just want to help kids all around the world.”
