$3.8 million NIL-valued AJ Dybantsa reacts as Indiana Pacers’ Pascal Siakam wins Conference Finals MVP vs New York Knicks

BYU signee AJ Dybantsa shared his reaction to the Eastern Conference Finals game between the Pacers and the Knicks.

On Saturday, the 6-foot-9 player, on his Instagram story, reshared Swish Cultures' post about Pascal Siakam being the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals.

"Pascal Siakam is ECF MVP 🔥 (via @pacers)," read the post's caption.

Appreciating Siakam's performance, the small forward tagged him and added salute emojis.

"@pskills43 🫡🫡," Dybantsa captioned the story.

The Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 125-108 in Game 6 to reach the NBA Finals. This will be their first time since 2000 to get to the finals. Pascal Siakam scored 31 points, and Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 13 assists to lead the Pacers to the win.

The Pacers took control in the third quarter and made the most of the Knicks' 17 turnovers, scoring 34 points off them. Siakam was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Two Pacers players, Jarace Walker and Aaron Nesmith left the game in the fourth quarter with injuries. The Pacers will play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals, starting June 5.

Kevin Young highlights AJ Dybantsa’s selfless game and NBA-level preparation at BYU

AJ Dybantsa is drawing praise not just for his scoring but also for his passing. BYU head coach Kevin Young, who was an associate coach with the Phoenix Suns before, highlighted Dybantsa’s selfless play.

“I don’t think people talk nearly enough about his passing. I think he’s really unselfish,” Young said on The Field of 68.

Dybantsa’s decision to join BYU over other top programs surprised fans. However, considering his plans to get drafted in the NBA after one year at BYU, it makes sense to join Kevin Young, who has NBA experience and follows an extensive training approach.

In a video posted on Friday by Bleacher Report Hoops on YouTube, Dybantsa talked about how he was training for the NBA and college.

“There’s no four-point line in basketball, but this court is special cause it’s got the four-point line,” he said. “So if you want to increase your range, where you want to shoot from. And also gets you momentum to step into the NBA line and college line, which is right here."

Dybantsa has a NIL value of $3.8 million according to On3 and he remained the top prospect of the Class of 2025 almost throughtout the season.

About the author

Nishant is a Delhi-based journalist at Sportskeeda specializing in High School Sports. He graduated in Mathematical Sciences and is pursuing a Masters in Operational Research at Delhi University.

With his educational background and over four years of experience, Nishant likes to be precise with information. He is passionate about cricket, football, basketball, and chess, often writing about events and game analysis.

His favorite team is the Michigan Wolverines, and he thoroughly enjoyed their unbeaten season and championship win, especially when it culminated in Jim Harbaugh fulfilling his promise of getting a tattoo.

When he is not working or watching sports, Nishant likes to play football and write poetry. Wrapping everything in humor with relatable memes and defending his heart out on the football field is why he gets up every day.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer