{"id":3447,"date":"2026-06-24T06:33:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T06:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3447"},"modified":"2026-06-24T06:33:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T06:33:48","slug":"aj-dybantsas-dream-fulfilled-his-selection-at-no-1-a-victory-both-for-brockton-and-all-his-hard-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3447","title":{"rendered":"AJ Dybantsa\u2019s dream fulfilled, his selection at No. 1 a victory both for Brockton and all his hard work"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NEW YORK \u2014 The dream of reaching the NBA was born when AJ Dybantsa was a child. The possibility became real when he was a teenager playing among men on outdoor courts in Brockton. The inspiration was sparked by the death of Kobe Bryant in 2020. The motivation was forged during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Dybantsa trained while friends played video games. And the path became clear the next four years, when he trekked from Brockton to California to Utah to fulfill his promise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Sonny Gray was the rock in Denver on Tuesday, as Red Sox recovered from catastrophic loss behind a stellar start<\/a><\/p>\n

The reality came Tuesday night in Brooklyn.<\/span><\/p>\n

When NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Dybantsa as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the moment completed a lifelong journey and charted the course for his next chapter as a future-shifting figure for a Washington Wizards franchise that\u2019s made the playoffs just once since 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cBeing the No. 1 pick, it meant a lot to me,\u201d Dybantsa said. \u201cObviously, me being No. 1 throughout my high school career, I definitely wanted to be a staple in the NBA Draft and be in the same conversation as LeBron James, Cooper Flagg, Allen Iverson, guys like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, it culminated a chapter in Massachusetts basketball that stretches to 2006, when Will Blalock was selected No. 60 by the Pistons; to 2014, when Roxbury\u2019s Shabazz Napier was handpicked by James as the Heat\u2019s selection at No. 24; and to 2021, when a fatal car crash left Terrence Clarke\u2019s promise of being a first-round pick unfulfilled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dybantsa is the first Massachusetts-born player to be selected No. 1.<\/span><\/p>\n

Patrick Ewing was taken No. 1 in 1985 after he turned Cambridge Rindge and Latin into a powerhouse, but he was born in Jamaica. Jimmy Walker was the No. 1 pick in 1967, but he was born in Virginia, moved to Roxbury as a child, and later attended high school in North Carolina.<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>From February 2025: The making of AJ Dybantsa, the most exciting basketball prospect in Massachusetts history<\/div>\n

Even though basketball took him across the country, Dybantsa has been rooted in Brockton since birth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just try to put on for my state,\u201d Dybantsa said. \u201cBrockton bred, 508. I do everything for them. I like helping back in the community and giving the kids hope. There\u2019s a lot of kids that play basketball out there and think that they can\u2019t make it, but once they see me, they can be like, OK. They might have some hope. It doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be basketball, but anything they do. If they want to be a doctor, an engineer, anything. I\u2019ll just try to be that role model.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The forward\u2019s hometown was ready to celebrate the moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

After hosting his draft announcement in April, the Davis K-8 School, which Dybantsa attended, started preparing for draft night with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for three new basketball courts. The plan for draft night was to hold a watch party by the outdoor courts with food trucks, raffles, and Dybantsa T-shirts, but uncooperative weather forced it inside.<\/span><\/p>\n

Principal Kevin Rooney, who was born and raised in Brockton, said the weather wouldn\u2019t affect the excitement level among teachers and students who have watched Dybantsa\u2019s journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s that sense of pride, right?\u201d Rooney said. \u201cYou dedicate your career and your life to a school, and you\u2019re influencing young people. Then to see one of them reach the ultimate goal \u2014 reaching the NBA \u2014 I think that\u2019s really powerful.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the kids, it\u2019s inspiring. He\u2019s been somebody they\u2019ve seen multiple times throughout this school year, and in years past he\u2019s been a presence at the Davis. So for them it\u2019s inspiring, it\u2019s exciting, and I think they feel a sense of pride, too. Brockton is a prideful community. Being from Brockton, you have that sense of pride ingrained in you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Gun rights advocates want to convince voters to undo a sweeping Mass. firearms law. They hope it spurs something bigger.<\/a><\/p>\n

Up until the moment Dybantsa\u2019s name was called, there was still uncertainty about whether he would be the first pick. He was viewed as a virtually lab-engineered NBA prospect, but Kansas guard Darryn Peterson was considered by some evaluators to be the most talented player in the draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

But every step Dybantsa has taken has been with the intention of playing in the NBA.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chris Burgess, one of Dybantsa\u2019s assistant coaches this past season at BYU, remembered a staff meeting in which coaches discussed how it could help him reach the NBA.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe met as a staff before we brought him in and we were like, \u2018Hey, what is the direction we\u2019re going with this?\u2019 \u201d Burgess said. \u201cOne of the assistant coaches was like, \u2018Well, we\u2019re going to present to him how we can help him be the No. 1 pick.\u2019 And I\u2019m like, \u2018That ain\u2019t it.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat dude could go to Concordia College and he\u2019s the No. 1 pick. He could go anywhere and be the No. 1 pick at that time. It\u2019s how are we going to help him be the most ready after he gets drafted No. 1. That\u2019s the vision we\u2019ve got to give him because he\u2019s coming in right now thinking not that, \u2018I want to be the No. 1 pick.\u2019 He\u2019s coming in here saying, \u2018I am going to be the No. 1 pick. How are you going to help me transition?\u2019 That was my message.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Part of what\u2019s made every transition smooth for Dybantsa has been having his parents close by. He was the only player in the draft who wasn\u2019t represented by an agent. Instead, his father, Ace, has handled all of his affairs.<\/span><\/p>\n

He honored his father by having Silver address him by his full name \u2014 Anicet \u2014 when he walked across the stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo many sacrifices that he made,\u201d AJ said. \u201cHe quit his job just to retire and move in with me at Utah Prep so I\u2019d be safe. Sending me over to California to get a better basketball experience. All the little stuff that I didn\u2019t notice he was doing at a young age, obviously it\u2019s paying off now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Related: <\/span><\/span>Brad Stevens was wise to draw the line … but I\u2019m still bummed the Celtics couldn\u2019t land Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/div>\n

In that way, Dybantsa is as NBA-ready \u2014 both on and off the court \u2014 as any player selected in his position. And Tuesday was his to savor.<\/span><\/p>\n

But he already knew what he wanted to do Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know I have a lot of work to do,\u201d he said. \u201cBut obviously, this night is just a celebration of all the hard work that I\u2019ve done in the past. So tonight I\u2019m going to celebrate, but I\u2019ve got to get on a plane tomorrow morning and I\u2019ll probably work out tomorrow \u2014 if they let me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more With housing costs sky high, Congress finally puts aside partisanship and acts to increase supply<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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