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AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class according to ESPN, will be heading to the BYU Cougars next season. The 6-foot-9 small forward concluded an impressive high school basketball career that started at St. Sebastian's School in 2022.
Furthermore, Dybantsa also collaborated with Bob and Rita Marley's Foundation to help Jamaican grassroots basketball, visiting the country with his parents on May 8. On Saturday, he reshared a story posted by a fashion model, Winnie Harlow, after she reposted the reel commending Dybantsa for his efforts to grow basketball in Jamaica:
Dybantsa captioned the story with joined hands and a fingers crossed emoji.
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Check out the original reel posted by the Instagram page "BACKCOURT" on Thursday:
"We need to talk about AJ Dybantsa, because what he is doing in Jamaica isn't getting enough attention. AJ is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and he previously represented Jamaica at the Nike Hoop Summit, but he deepened his ties to his motherland in his most recent visit," the narrator said.
He also talked about the partnership with Bob and Rita Marley's foundation:
"In partnership with the Bob Marley Foundation in Jamaica Basketball, AJ launched an initiative to uplift the youth through basketball and philanthropy."
According to him, Dybantsa will take another trip to Jamaica, this time to focus on "skill development and clinics":
"While this trip was focused on inspiration and donations, he wants his next trip to be focused on skill development and clinics, and even better, he didn't rule out the possibility of representing Jamaica in future international competitions. With AJ's increased involvement, both off-the-court and potentially on-the-court, the future of Jamaica basketball looks brighter than ever."
AJ Dybantsa plays basketball in Jamaica
The famous basketball page Bleacher Report Hoops posted a video of Dybantsa playing basketball on a court on Tuesday. The Cougars signee was 1-on-1 with the defender and showed his elite dribbling moves, breaking the defender's ankles and causing him to fall down.
He then proceeded to run to the rim and jam it ball down with a two-handed dunk:
"Nah why’d he do him like that 🤣 @aj.dybantsa (via @xballafrica )," the post was captioned.
AJ Dybantsa also received offers from top programs, including the Alabama Crimson Tide, Kansas State Wildcats, North Carolina Tar Heels and the USC Trojans, among others.
He will be joined by Xavion Staton and Chamberlain Burgress next season.
