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4w ago

Wizards Take AJ Dybantsa No. 1 as Freshmen Dominate the 2026 NBA Draft

The top pick marks Washington’s move from teardown to building with a rookie-centered roster plan.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with AJ Dybantsa after he is drafted first overall by the Washington Wizards during Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City.
Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA Commissioner poses with the first pick in the 2026 NBA draft selected by the Washington Wizards, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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Overview

  • Tuesday night the Washington Wizards selected BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick, a choice the team framed as accelerating its rebuild.
  • Kansas guard Darryn Peterson went No. 2 to the Utah Jazz, Duke forward Cameron Boozer went No. 3 to Memphis, and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson went No. 4 to Chicago.
  • The first round opened with a record-tying run of eight straight college freshmen, underscoring the class’s youth and the accuracy of pre-draft projections.
  • The Milwaukee Bucks used draft assets from their reported trade of Giannis Antetokounmpo to add rookies Brayden Burries and the rights to Nate Ament as part of a roster reset.
  • Teams will now shift into offseason work on contracts, rookie development and targeted signings as franchises use the draft to shape short- and long-term rosters.