NEW YORK — The Wizards have been rewarded for their tanking crimes.
On Tuesday, Washington selected BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft after amassing a league-worst 17–65 record. It marks the team’s highest draft selection since taking John Wall with the top pick in the 2010 draft.
As Adam Silver ceremonially shook hands with the 6-foot-9 forward, he simultaneously marked the end of an era; the commissioner’s new “3-2-1 lottery” system will debut next year to help combat the tanking practices the Wizards emphasized en route to landing the No. 1 selection.
Dybansta joins a young team led by two star veterans in Trae Young and Anthony Davis. At 25.5 points per game, the Massachusetts native was the first freshman to lead the nation in scoring since Young did so at Oklahoma in 2019.
“I think I bring versatility. Obviously, them re-signing Trae, having AD, I think I can fit in as an off-ball guy that can just score in different ways. Score in transition. Score off the catch. Score off the dribble,” Dybansta said shortly after he was selected. “They challenged me when they talked to me, saying, ‘If we pick you, we want you to play defense 94 feet and pick up.’ So I definitely bring that too.”
