Exclusive: Aj Dybantsa Prepared For 'crazy' Nba Draft Night Scenarios

During a conversation with USA TODAY Sports, former BYU star AJ Dybantsa stated that he is confident he will go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.

However, in this one-on-one interview, Dybantsa also admitted that he knows there is a wide range of outcomes that can happen at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 23.

"I'm super confident in myself being the No. 1 pick. But you never know. There's been crazy stuff that happens on draft night," Dybantsa told USA TODAY Sports.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the NCAA scoring champion has conducted pre-draft workouts with both the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz. These franchises hold the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.

However, per Charania, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson has only visited with the Wizards and does not plan to grant any other franchise a workout. Charania reported that both players expect to hear their name called at No. 1 overall.

Dybantsa told USA TODAY Sports why he, unlike Peterson, chose to visit with both of the teams selecting at the top of the draft. The Julius Erving Award winner has long ties to Utah: He played collegiate basketball at BYU (where Jazz governor Ryan Smith and CEO Danny Ainge are alumni and boosters) and he attended Utah Prep Academy for his final year of high school.

"You never want to just be too stuck on just on going to visit one team, in my opinion. You want to visit different teams and see what they have to offer," Dybantsa explained.

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On an episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN's Brian Windhorst shared a photograph that AJ's father, Ace Dybantsa, sent him via text message. In the picture, there is a T-shirt for both the Wizards and Jazz.

Washington's front office will control the cards and are reportedly not expected to make a final decision on their preferred pick until closer to the night of the draft, according to The Athletic. Utah's front office, meanwhile, will have an immediate decision to make when they're on the clock.

Additionally, per The Athletic, the Jazz are "genuinely torn" between Dybantsa, Peterson and national collegiate player of the year Cameron Boozer. They reportedly "won't hesitate" to select Peterson if they feel he is the best fit despite not conducting a pre-draft workout with the guard.

"You're not really in control. The team's in control," Dybantsa said. "Any team I go to, I'm going to bring a bunch of versatility, offensively and defensively. If it's the number one team, if it's the number ten team, I'm going to bring the same thing."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Exclusive: AJ Dybantsa prepared for 'crazy' NBA draft night scenarios