AJ Dybantsa is months away from entering the NBA as the projected No. 1 draft pick this June. But first, there’s business to tend to.
The future sneaker status of Dybantsa, 19, has been unclear since June 2025, when his NIL deal with Nike reportedly expired. There’s been speculation he could choose another sneaker company, and star NBA players have increasingly signed with rival brands in recent years—New Balance has Kawhi Leonard, Tyrese Maxey, and Cooper Flagg on its roster, while Adidas counts Anthony Edwards, James Harden, and Damian Lillard as signature athletes.
But the 6’9” forward, coming off a stellar freshman season at Brigham Young University, has made his decision. He’s sticking with the swoosh under a multiyear deal, financial terms for which are not being disclosed.
“They’ve believed in me since day one,” Dybantsa tells Front Office Sports. “It was kind of a no-brainer…some of my favorite players—Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant—were all Nike partners.”
Dybantsa spoke with FOS a few days after formally declaring for the draft from his elementary school in Brockton, Mass., a day he describes as “super surreal.” He wore a sweatshirt emblazoned with his own custom logo—a star with points that are stylized A’s and J’s. Like many, Dybantsa has dreamed of making the NBA since he was very little; unlike most, the dream is being achieved.
Since he was about 12, Dybantsa knew he was a better athlete than his father, Anicet Dybantsa Sr., or Ace, who plays a central role in Dybantsa’s off-court business affairs.
“He had me and my sisters in the backyard doing a lot of plyometric jumping,” Dybantsa says. “Around sixth grade, that was my first dunk.”
Dybantsa isn’t ready to commit to the NBA dunk contest, though. “We’ll see,” he tells FOS. He’s more focused on bigger goals, like winning the Rookie of the Year, making multiple All-Star teams, being a multi-time All-NBA player, and winning championships.
“Just doing a lot for the team, doing a lot for myself,” he says. “The main thing is being able to play the game that I love, hopefully injury free.”
Dybantsa typically works out three times a day, six days a week. He’s always been a scorer, and says he’s “confident in my ability to get into the paint and make plays for others, whether that’s kicking it out when I get double teamed or throwing a lob to my big.” He also understands there are areas he can improve: “decision-making, making faster reads, on target. Being able to be a knockdown shooter. And just defense overall, on and off-ball.”
He watches a lot of film and models his game after players like Durant, Tracy McGrady, Paul George, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The level of play he will face in the NBA will be even tougher than what he dealt with during his lone season at BYU, when he led the Cougars to a 23-12 record with averages of 25.5 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. Dybantsa earned a number of honors during his freshman season at BYU, including being named a First Team All-American and Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
BYU entered the NCAA Tournament as a six seed and lost in the first round to the 11-seed Texas Longhorns. The loss was disappointing, although Dybantsa himself was stellar with 35 points and 10 rebounds. He laments the many injuries his team had—BYU played without six players, including guards Richie Saunders and Dawson Baker.
“College basketball’s tough,” Dybantsa says, adding it was “we did our best to push through, and I tried to give it my all.”
His lifelong dream, playing in the NBA, is in his immediate future. But Dybantsa still intends to fulfill his mom’s dream for him, graduating from college—he says he’ll finish his degree online.
“When she said she wanted me to graduate and come back to school, I actually had to really take that into consideration,” Dybantsa tells FOS. “But me and my mom and my dad had a long talk, and I guess my dad ultimately won. So I declared.”
