WASHINGTON (AP) — It has been nearly a half-century since Washington was a real championship contender in the NBA.
Now, AJ Dybantsa’s arrival represents a potential turning point for a franchise that could really use one.
“He is a special person,” general manager Will Dawkins said. “I can’t wait for the city to really embrace him. He’s already started his own foundation giving back to people back in Massachusetts, Jamaica, Africa. He really is about where he wants to be.”
The Wizards took Dybantsa with the first overall pick in Tuesday night’s NBA draft. The 6-foot-9 freshman averaged 25.5 points at BYU last season. Born in Boston, Dybantsa played at Utah Prep in high school before staying in state for his one year in college. When Washington won the draft lottery, there was speculation the Utah Jazz might try to trade up from No. 2 to take Dybantsa, but ultimately the Wizards kept the pick and selected him.
“I was just super confident. I’ve been betting on myself for a while now,” Dybantsa said. “Since about ninth grade I’ve been No. 1, so I didn’t really plan on dropping in the draft.”
Dybantsa’s full name is Anicet Francois Dybantsa Jr. He wore flag pins Tuesday for Jamaica and the Republic of Congo, where his mother and father are from. Dybantsa had the commissioner announce him as Anicet in honor of his father.
“We’re definitely getting a difference maker on the basketball court. There’s no doubt about that,” Dawkins said. “What I would want our fans to know night one is that he is a worker. He is a passionate person who loves basketball and will continue to work and get better.”
Dybantsa has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant, his favorite player. That’s fitting, because Durant has been a white whale of sorts for Wizards fans, since he’s from D.C. but hasn’t played there while in college or the pros.
The process of scouting Dybantsa began long before Washington found out it would pick first. He’s been on the radar for a while.
“He’s just a competitor,” Dawkins said. “He sees a challenge and he attacks it. I’ve seen that from a very young age to where he is now. He has a humility about him that he knows how good he is, but he wants to keep working so he can reach the highest level.”
The Wizards won an NBA title in 1978, back when they were called the Bullets. But they have not won 50 games since 1979, and that was also the last time they so much as reached the conference finals. In between periods of total futility, they’ve occasionally had entertaining players and interesting teams. But a true superstar capable of delivering a championship? That’s been for other franchises.
Washington blew the top pick in 2001, taking Kwame Brown. The Wizards fared better in 2010 with John Wall at No. 1 overall, and he at least helped them get past the first round of the postseason.
That era eventually ran its course, and not even a brief visit from Russell Westbrook in 2020-21 could make Washington particularly relevant. Recently, the Wizards have embarked on a significant rebuild that yielded a record of 50-196 over the past three seasons.
Washington drafted big man Alex Sarr at No. 2 overall in 2024, and the roster also includes recent first-round picks Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Will Riley and Cam Whitmore. Even before they won this year’s lottery, there were signs the Wizards would be a lot more interesting in 2026-27. They traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis last season, and although Davis didn’t play at all for Washington and Young barely did, Dybantsa is joining a team that has some intriguing talent around him.
“Obviously they have a great young core, and the potential is there,” Dybantsa said. “Them adding me, I think I can help them a little bit. Them re-signing Trae Young, them having A.D. and having good vets along with our young core. I think we can do big things.”
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