Brockton's A.J. Dybantsa becomes first Mass. player since Patrick Ewing to go No. 1 in NBA Draft

NBA

Dybantsa is the first Massachusetts player to go No. 1 overall since Patrick Ewing in 1985.

AJ Dybantsa stands as the future of the Washington Wizards after the team chose him with the top pick in the NBA Draft on Tuesday night. Arturo Holmes/Getty

By Khari A. Thompson

June 23, 2026

1 minute to read

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The Wizards picked BYU star A.J. Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Tuesday night.

The Brockton native is the first Massachusetts player taken in that spot since Patrick Ewing in 1985. He also joins Roxbury’s Jimmy Walker (1967) on the list.

The 6-foot-9-inch, 217-pound forward averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in his lone season at BYU.

With a 7-foot wingspan and a 42 inch vertical leap, along with his ability to finish at the rim and knock down midrange jumpers Dybantsa has drawn comparisons to Tracy McGrady.

He’ll join a Wizards franchise that hasn’t made it out of the first round of the playoffs since 2017 when they lost to the Celtics in the conference semifinals.

Dybantsa will join Trae Young and Anthony Davis in Washington. The Wizards finished 17-65 last season despite significant investements in improving the roster.

Now they’ll add the former St. Sebastiens star to the mix as they look to find their footing in the Eastern Conference.

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Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.