Utah Prep wing AJ Dybantsa is a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft. When he received his first basketball paycheck — $1,000 for winning Massachusetts Player of the Year as a freshman — he didn’t keep it, instead donating it to a local Boys & Girls Club, as Jared Weiss details in a feature story for The Athletic.
“Don’t take anything for granted,” Dybantsa told The Athletic recently. “People are less fortunate and don’t have what we have. If I continue this route, I’m going to get a lot more money than that. So, I might as well just donate (that check) back to the community.”
Dybantsa reportedly secured a massive name, image and likeness (NIL) windfall when he committed to BYU. According to Weiss, the 17-year-old has kept his focus on basketball despite becoming a very famous — and wealthy — athlete.
“People just gonna talk, but I (didn’t) even know how much I’m getting. They just tell my dad all of that,” Dybantsa said of his father Ace, who negotiated the deal. “I’m trying to make it to the NBA, so wherever they can get me the fastest there with the best development, there’s a whole lot of pillars that come with it. Money’s going to come if I do the work, so I’m not worried about the money in a year.”
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein has become a minority owner of Ratiopharm Ulm, the German basketball club announced in a press release. “I got involved because I was searching for a German team that I could be a part of — one that, if I were younger and trying to make the next level, would get me there,” Hartenstein said. “I feel like they do a great job of developing young talent and helping them advance in their careers. The team is well-run, and even though they focus on helping players take the next step, they remain competitive. That mix was really exciting for me. And growing up, I always loved the fans they had.” Hartenstein grew up in Germany, where both he and his father Florian played professionally.
- Former NBA forward Luka Samanic is in advanced talks to join Spanish club Baskonia, which competes in the EuroLeague, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. Samanic, who played for Utah last season, has been playing for Cibona in his native Croatia. Cibona is not a member of the EuroLeague.
- Ahead of the NBA Cup championship game, commissioner Adam Silver discussed the NBA’s declining TV ratings and the increase in three-point field goals, which some fans and observes believe has hurt the league’s appeal. John Hollinger of The Athletic thinks the discourse about ratings and threes “ring hollow.” Marc Stein conveys a similar sentiment in a Substack post, downplaying any concerns about ratings.
I saw Samanic when he was with the Maine Claws, dude is a baller i wonder why he never stick to the NBA
Low bbiq, not good defensively, lacks motor, not a good enough shooter. One of those guys for whom if you could swap their brain with someone else, you wonder what they could have accomplished.
NBA ratings have been nose diving for a while. It’s nothing knew. It’s just that the nba has no idea how to fix it. The product on the cart isn’t that good.
Since the GSW and Lakers game was the highest ratings you are going to see a bunch of them on national TV next year.
Sure but neither one of those teams are going anywhere. It’s more because nobody knows how many more times we will see James vs Curry but both those teams aren’t good.
That is the problem of the new players not many have much of a TV personality to take it up a notch. NBA needs a young all star with a personality to build around.
When you have 30 years of stale Lebron has your headline you will drop. Zion had a shot but he ruined it. Cooper Flag needs to be a Caitlyn Clark for the NBA.
I told you guys that Cooper Flagg had offensive limitations, and was NOT a franchise player. I am also going to tell you that A.J. Dybantsa is also NOT a franchise guy. Dybantsa is the 2025 high school version of R.J. Barrett. The exact same guy except shoots with right hand.
Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and Egor from BYU are all legit, and will be the top 3 picks in the 2025 draft. Not sure Flagg still goes in the top 5 when all is said and done.
TV ratings falling should not be downplayed, as that is how the most important elements of the fanbase consumes their product. People who care mostly about the spectacle and/or the soap opera won’t grow the sport.
These players are buying teams while they are still playing. Anyone see a problem here