Cougs Daily

LeBron James Went Right to BYU Start AJ Dybansta After Lakers' Win Over Jazz

Dybansta is a projected top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft
Casey Lundquist|
LeBron James and AJ Dybansta after the Lakers take down the Utah Jazz in the Delta Center
LeBron James and AJ Dybansta after the Lakers take down the Utah Jazz in the Delta Center | X: BYU Basketball

In this story:

BYU Cougars

On Thursday night, BYU star AJ Dybansta was in attendance for the Lakers' win over the Utah Jazz. As soon as the final buzzer went off, Lakers star LeBron James went straight to Dybansta who was sitting courtside.

Dybansta and James exchanged a few words before he went to the locker room.

AJ Dybansta is projected to be a top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. He is the best NBA prospect to ever put on a BYU uniform, and he is already a household name in NBA circles. Dybansta has worked out with Kevin Durant and many other stars in the league.

BYU has never had a player on its roster with as much notorioty and star power as Dybansta. Most importantly, he has lived up to the hype so far in Provo. Dybansta has looked every part of a top NBA Draft pick. He has scored when BYU has needed to score, but he's also been a willing passer. He impacts the game at every level, even as a rebounder. Dybansta's rebounding has improved as the season has progressed.

In fact, Dybansta is making college basketball history. According to OptaSTATS, Dybansta is the only D1 player over the last 30 years to have 90+ points, 30+ rebounds, 20+ assists, 60%+ field goal percentage, and no fouls in any four games. Dybansta has done that in the last four games for BYU.

The BYU freshman superstar had his first career double earlier this week. Dybansta had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Dybansta has scored 20+ points in four consecutive games. He is the first BYU player to do that since Tyler Haws in 2015. Haws would go on to become BYU's all-time leading scorer.

Most impressive has been Dybansta's ability to score in BYU's most important games. In the second half of the UConn game, Dybansta willed BYU back into the game against a very good UConn team. Against Clemson, Dybansta led BYU back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Tigers. Dybansta has the ability to take over a game like the best players that have played the sport. His future is incredibly bright and he will have a long career in the NBA. Players like LeBron James acknowledge that.

On Friday, Dybansta and BYU will be back in action as they take on Abilene Christian at home. That will be the third game in a four-game homestand.

More BYU Coverage

Published
Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

Share on XFollow casey_lundquist
Home/Basketball