Peter Okereke
Leading up to the 2026 NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa made it seem as though he was going to do everything possible to ensure he wore the jersey number he wanted. However, his college No. 3 was already taken at the Washington Wizards by point guard Trae Young.
On Thursday however, Dybantsa finally revealed which number he will eventually wear in the league after admitting he was trolling Young all along.
At his introductory press conference, the 19-year-old forward held up a Wizards jersey with the No. 4 on it, making that his official number with the franchise, according to Chase Hughes of the Monumental Sports Network. Therefore, Dybantsa will now wear No. 4 while Young keeps his No. 3 jersey.
“First look at AJ Dybantsa and his No. 4 Wizards jersey,” wrote Hughes on his X page.
Not long after being drafted, the former BYU Cougars star confessed he was trolling Trae Young about the jersey fiasco. Dybantsa claimed he respects the veteran players on the team, but did admit that if Young ever makes the No. 3 available, he’ll definitely accept it.
“I was trolling,” stated Dybantsa. “I’m going to respect the vets. He is Trae. Trae is 3. But if he wants to give me the number, I’ll take the number.”
The last time the Wizards owned the No. 1 overall pick was in 2010 when the franchise selected point guard John Wall. While Wall had a successful 11-year career, nine of which were with Washington, and finished as a five-time All-Star, the organization hopes Dynantsa can achieve something the franchise hasn’t done in nearly 50 years: win a championship.
AJ Dybantsa was prolific in his lone season at BYU. He played 35 games for the program and was named a First-Team All-American after leading the nation in points per game with 25.5.
He also averaged 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 51.0% from the field and 33.1% from beyond the three-point line. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how he carries that momentum into his rookie season in the NBA.
