Lakers' LeBron James Made a Lasting Impression on Potential No. 1 Overall Pick AJ Dybantsa

The 2026 NBA Draft is shaping up to be one of the more exciting ones in recent memory, and one name keeps coming up at the top of every list. Before the draft even gets here, the story around the top prospect has already connected back to a Los Angeles Lakers star.

In a clip shared on the All The Smoke Productions account on X, top 2026 draft prospect AJ Dybantsa opened up about a workout he had with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James back in 2023. Dybantsa was still in high school at the time, just a sophomore, already getting runs with one of the best players alive.

"In 2023 I went to go workout with him and Chris Johnson and I was just picking his brain after the workout. He was just talking not even about basketball but a business partner... he's doing it the best."

AJ Dybantsa says LeBron James gave him some business advice after their workout in 2023:

“In 2023 I went to go workout with him and Chris Johnson and I was just picking his brain after the workout. He was just talking not even about basketball but a business partner… he’s doing… https://t.co/ttTTbsKigf pic.twitter.com/eGv5SSFGAg
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 28, 2026

That moment clearly stuck with Dybantsa. At the 2026 NBA Draft Combine, he spoke about James again, this time on what he picked up just from watching him work. And it was not about scoring or shooting. It was something simpler.

"Just his patience," Dybantsa told reporters. "He's just super patient, even when he works out. If it's in the post, if he's reading defenses he's just patient. That's probably why he's played so long."

LeBron James and the Lakers Have a Big Decision to Make This Summer

For a player who made that kind of impression on a teenager three years ago, James himself is now at a crossroads. His contract is up, and he is heading into unrestricted free agency with no deal in place and no clear answer on what comes next.

The Lakers were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round, and the offseason ahead is a complicated one. LeBron is not just waiting on a number. He wants to know what the organization is actually building and whether coming back makes real sense at 41.

Cleveland has come up as a possible landing spot, and retirement has not been ruled out either. The man who was giving a high schooler business advice in 2023 is now the one weighing his own next move.

Dybantsa is projected to go first overall to the Washington Wizards, and the two will likely never share a court. But the lessons from that 2023 workout are already with him, and that kind of influence does not need a contract to last.

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