The path to becoming the NBA’s No. 1 pick started with a Spider-Man hoop hung on the back of A.J. Dybantsa’s bedroom door. The rookie, who met legions of Wizards fans for the first time on Thursday, loved the Marvel superhero before he ever touched a basketball.
“I was about five years old, so I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life. My dad went to K-Mart and bought [that hoop] by accident, he told me,” Dybantsa said. “But I loved Spider-Man growing up, so I started shooting on it.”
A year later, he wrote for a first-grade assignment that he wanted to be an NBA player when he grew up.
Tossing shots against that plastic hoop turned into games at YMCA leagues in Dybantsa’s native Massachusetts. Then, he embarked on a prolific high-school career, becoming a five-star recruit. He committed to BYU and led the nation in his scoring during his lone collegiate season.
Now, Dybantsa is the future of Wizards basketball, an era that began on Thursday when he introduced himself to the District.
“They’re excited to have [Dybantsa]. This is a basketball city, and they’ve been waiting for a day like this,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said.
It’s been a hectic 48 hours for Dybantsa. He’s appeared on countless TV broadcasts, from “SportsCenter” to “Good Morning America,” detailing the surreal path to becoming a top pick that began with a Spider-Man hoop.
Dybantsa arrived in the District on Wednesday with a full schedule, meeting the dozens of Wizards employees who were ready to help him become a star.
“I even met the mascot, which was ridiculous,” Dybantsa said of “G-Wiz,” the furry blue staple at Wizards games.
But the 19-year-old is used to the attention. He first noticed the crowds when he was an eighth-grader playing on a high-school varsity team.
They were selling tickets and marking off sections with yellow tape to add seats to meet demand.
“I was like, ’OK, this is kind of crazy,’” Dybantsa said. “Like, you’re not supposed to be selling tickets at a regular high school, and they’re out here selling tickets for outside commission.”
Dybantsa isn’t a stranger to the District. He worked out for the Wizards during the pre-draft process and even took touristy photos outside the White House as a youngster — he posted the image of himself with his father at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the lead-up to the draft.
The energy is a bit different this time around. After his press conference, Dybantsa joined legions of Wizards die-hards at The District Debut Fan Fest, an event at The Wharf waterfront to celebrate the good vibes around the city.
“He’s not just a special talent on the floor,” Dawkins said. “He gets it. He wants to be part of the community and we welcome him with open arms on that.”
The fans clamored to get a glimpse of Dybantsa during Thursday’s festivities at The Wharf. Children stretched for high fives while others eagerly tried to grab the balls and shirts that the rookie chucked into the crowd.
They weren’t wearing his jersey yet, though. They’re in production now.
Dybantsa confirmed on Thursday that he’d wear No. 4 in Washington. Teammate Trae Young already snagged No. 3, which Dybantsa wore at BYU.
“It’s new beginnings,” the top pick said. “Previously wore No. 3, but I was the No. 1 pick. Add those up, and you got four.”
The BYU product isn’t the franchise’s savior. Not on his own, at least. But he represents the end of a miserable era for Washington’s basketball fans.
They’ve spent the past three years as the worst team in the NBA by a wide margin. The team’s name became synonymous with not just mediocrity, but embarrassment. Attendance dipped as opposing fans filled Capital One Arena, turning trips to the District into de facto home games.
The times are changing.
Dybantsa is the crown jewel in the Wizards’ rebuilding efforts after three years as one of the two worst teams in the NBA. He joins All-Stars Young and Anthony Davis, who Washington acquired via midseason trades, on a squad that enters the summer with real hopes at relevance for the first time in years.
“At the end of the day, he’s been building toward this. In one of [Dybantasa’s] pressers, I heard, ’I’ve been building toward this, but I’ve also seen the Wizards are building,’” Dawkins said. “We want to build that together.”
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