BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa is already on a first-name basis with some of the NBA’s biggest names. In the latest episode of Deseret Voices, the 6-foot-9 phenom sat down with host McKay Coppins and gave a candid look into the conversations he has been having with current and former NBA players, including one that turned into a full-blown argument with Russell Westbrook.
AJ Dybantsa Reveals His Argument With Russell Westbrook
Coppins asked Dybantsa about the group of NBA players he stays in touch with and the advice they have been giving him. Dybantsa was happy to share the broad strokes, but held back on the specifics.
“They kind of just gave me advice on like how to continue through the Big 12 and stay on pace for things and just trying to tell me to keep going and what I can do to improve. And what they actually told me, I’m not going to spill the sauce of what they would do to me in the NBA, which I should fix now,” Dybantsa said.
When Coppins pressed him on which player had told him how they planned ‘to shut him down’, one name came up immediately.
“Russell Westbrook,” Dybantsa said.
Coppins asked if Dybantsa believed Westbrook.
“I think I can get a couple buckets on him. Shut down? I don’t think he’ll shut me down. But he might make it a little harder,” Dybantsa said with a smile.
He then explained how what started as a straightforward advice session with NBA veterans quickly took a competitive turn.
“I was kind of just asking advice, like, you know, how can I get better, this and that? Like, well, he was like ‘first you got to stop this, because if you do this, I’m going to do this.’ And it kept becoming an argument after that,” Dybantsa said.
It is the kind of confidence that has defined Dybantsa’s entire rise. The Utah prep standout was one of the most heavily recruited prospects in recent memory before BYU ultimately landed him.
Reportedly, one of the major factors in his decision to join the Cougars was the program’s ability to accelerate his path to the NBA. So far, that bet has paid off.
Dybantsa leads the NCAA Division I men’s basketball in scoring this year at 24.9 points per game while adding 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He is shooting 53.0% from the field and 36.3% from three.
He entered the 2025-26 season as the odds-on favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and nothing he has done on the court has changed that conversation.
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What has changed is the uncertainty around his timeline. Despite all signs pointing toward him declaring for the draft once BYU’s season ends, Dybantsa left the door open during the Deseret Voices interview.
“I might not leave. I might not leave college. Just got to wait until the end of the season,” he said.
For a prospect at his level, that is a statement worth paying attention to. The 2026 NBA Draft is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated in years, with the likes of AJ Dybantsa, Derryn Peterson, Caleb Wilson, Cameron Boozer, and more projected to be major names.
Right now, though, Dybantsa sits at the very top of the 2026 draft class.
