AJ Dybantsa says he 'might not leave' BYU despite NBA Draft projections

Amid a strong freshman season at BYU, AJ Dybantsa continues to make his case to go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. But he indicated he might not wind up declaring, instead saying he “might not leave” BYU, after all.

Dybantsa dropped hints about his future while speaking with Deseret News, telling McKay Coppins his mom wants him to get his degree. When asked whether he thinks he’ll go No. 1 overall, Dybantsa responded, “I might not leave,” and he clarified he “might not leave college” when asked what he meant.

Dybantsa also said he has “just got to get to the end of the season” and still might wind up leaving for the draft. Of course, he expects the “one more year” chants to ring down as BYU goes through its final regular-season games. But he added he’ll have to talk with his mother.

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“I might not leave college”

The projected No. 1 NBA draft pick, @AJ_Dybantsa, just dropped a bombshell on “Deseret Voices.” What’s behind him weighing a return to Provo for another season?

Listen to the @BYUMBB star and @mckaycoppins on the full… pic.twitter.com/xIjthCPKHs

— Deseret News (@Deseret) March 3, 2026

“No, because my mom wants me to graduate,” Dybantsa said when asked whether he made up his mind about declaring. “So I might not leave. But I might leave. I don’t know.

“The fans might get into my head and talk about one more year, maybe three more years. I don’t know. But I’m going to have to talk to my mom.”

Dybansta has lived up to the billing after arriving at BYU as the top recruit in the country. He’s averaging 24.9 points this year to lead the Cougars while adding 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals on average. He’s also shooting 53% from the field and 36.3% from three-point territory.

But as he looks ahead to his future, Dybantsa made it clear his mom wants him to get his degree. The reason, he said, is beyond the basketball court.

“As mom, she’s thinking post-basketball,” Dybantsa said. “And God forbid, if anything happens to me, [she thinks] I should always have a backup plan.”

Of course, given his impressive season, the wide expectation is Dybantsa will declare for the draft. On3’s Jamie Shaw III listed him as the No. 1 overall player on his latest Big Board, and ESPN projected him as the No. 2 overall pick in its most recent mock draft last month.

AJ Dybantsa said he knows what people think he’ll do. But he emphasized he didn’t say anything definitive, either way, regarding his future.

“They can assume,” Dybantsa said. “I didn’t say anything.”