{"id":85927,"date":"2026-06-23T21:15:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T01:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/washington-wizards-take-byus-aj-dybantsa-with-no-1-nba-draft-pick\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T21:15:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T01:15:49","slug":"washington-wizards-take-byus-aj-dybantsa-with-no-1-nba-draft-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/washington-wizards-take-byus-aj-dybantsa-with-no-1-nba-draft-pick\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Wizards Take BYU’s AJ Dybantsa with No. 1 NBA Draft Pick"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

The Washington Wizards made their selection at the top of the NBA draft Tuesday evening, choosing BYU forward AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick.<\/p>

Washington passed on Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, who had a turbulent college season with the Jayhawks, opting instead for Dybantsa. Peterson didn’t wait long to hear his name called \u2014 the Utah Jazz grabbed him with the very next pick at No. 2 overall.<\/p>

Standing 6-foot-9, Dybantsa dominated college basketball in his lone season, finishing as the nation’s top scorer at 25.5 points per game. Analysts expect him to contribute right away at the professional level.<\/p>

Speaking on ESPN after being selected, Dybantsa expressed what the moment meant to him. “This means a lot,” he said. “It’s a stepping stone. Obviously, I have a lot more work to do.”<\/p>

Tuesday’s selection marked the third time in franchise history that Washington has held the No. 1 overall pick. The team previously used that slot to draft Kwame Brown in 2001 and John Wall in 2010.<\/p>

Dybantsa also made history for his program, becoming the first player from BYU ever to be taken first overall in the NBA draft.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Washington Wizards kicked off the NBA draft Tuesday night by selecting BYU forward AJ Dybantsa as the first overall pick. The 6-foot-9 Dybantsa was the nation’s leading scorer in college, averaging 25.5 points per game. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, who was also in the mix for the top spot, went second overall to the Utah Jazz.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":85926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782263749358.jpg?fit=450%2C319&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-mlV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":85691,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wizards-hold-no-1-pick-as-nba-draft-night-arrives-in-brooklyn\/","url_meta":{"origin":85927,"position":0},"title":"Wizards Hold No. 1 Pick as NBA Draft Night Arrives in Brooklyn","author":"Admin","date":"June 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Washington Wizards are set to make the top selection in Tuesday night's NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Top prospects include AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer, all coming off impressive freshman college seasons. The draft comes on the heels of a whirlwind month in the NBA,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782230474565.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782230474565.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782230474565.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782230474565.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65038,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/byu-star-dybantsa-expected-top-pick-as-wizards-win-nba-draft-lottery\/","url_meta":{"origin":85927,"position":1},"title":"BYU Star Dybantsa Expected Top Pick as Wizards Win NBA Draft Lottery","author":"Admin","date":"May 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Washington secured the first overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft lottery and is heavily favored to choose BYU forward AJ Dybantsa. The 6-foot-9 scorer led the nation with 25.5 points per game and has emerged as the betting favorite despite competition from other top prospects.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778538237326.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":85290,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/aj-dybantsa-eyes-no-1-nba-draft-pick-but-white-house-photo-was-just-a-coincidence\/","url_meta":{"origin":85927,"position":2},"title":"AJ Dybantsa Eyes No. 1 NBA Draft Pick, But White House Photo Was Just a Coincidence","author":"Admin","date":"June 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Top NBA draft prospect AJ Dybantsa is widely expected to be selected first overall by Washington on Tuesday night, but a Father's Day photo of him in front of the White House was purely accidental. The 6-foot-9 BYU forward led the nation in scoring this past season and has been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782160412140.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782160412140.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782160412140.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782160412140.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":85399,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/nba-draft-2026-byus-aj-dybantsa-breaks-down-as-a-top-prospect\/","url_meta":{"origin":85927,"position":3},"title":"NBA Draft 2026: BYU’s AJ Dybantsa Breaks Down as a Top Prospect","author":"Admin","date":"June 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa led the entire nation in scoring this past season, averaging 25.5 points per game, and is now drawing major attention heading into the 2026 NBA Draft. At 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds, he brings an impressive blend of size, skill, and scoring ability. Analysts have identified the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1782174673117.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":66226,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/four-college-stars-battle-for-top-nba-draft-position\/","url_meta":{"origin":85927,"position":4},"title":"Four College Stars Battle for Top NBA Draft Position","author":"Admin","date":"May 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Four standout college basketball players - AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson - are competing to be selected first overall in this year's NBA draft. The Washington Wizards hold the number one pick for the first time since 2010.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778711903129.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778711903129.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778711903129.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778711903129.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56435,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/byu-star-aj-dybantsa-declares-for-nba-draft-expected-as-top-pick\/","url_meta":{"origin":85927,"position":5},"title":"BYU Star AJ Dybantsa Declares for NBA Draft, Expected as Top Pick","author":"Admin","date":"April 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa announced Thursday he's entering the NBA draft after leading the nation with 25.5 points per game. The Massachusetts native is widely considered a top candidate for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776965973391.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776965973391.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776965973391.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1776965973391.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}