AJ AJ Dybantsa’s first official day as a member of the NBA came with a different first name.
The former BYU superstar went by “Anicet” Dybansta at the league’s annual draft in Brooklyn on Tuesday night.
Before the festivities formally kicked off, ESPN personality Malika Andrews explained the 19-year-old made the change for a heartfelt reason.
“It was important to him that he represents his father — he’s a Jr. — and his name in full tonight,” Andrews said on the event’s broadcast.
“So when you hear his name called, whether that’s No. 1, No. 2 or wherever he goes in this draft tonight, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will be saying his full name, Anicet Dybansta, as AJ has his moment here.”
Silver did indeed announce Dybansta as “Anicet Dybansta Jr.” when he revealed the Wizards’ top pick just minutes after Andrews delivered her report.
Dybansta gave his father, Anicet “Ace” Dybansta Sr., a big embrace as he walked up to pose with Silver following Washington’s selection.
Dybansta Jr. then went on to tell Lisa Salters in a post-pick interview that “everything I do is for [my dad].”
“It’s the name he gave me,” Dybansta Jr. said when discussing the temporary name change. “It’s really his name because he’s Sr. So I also wanted to honor him on this day too.”
Dybansta Sr. grew up in the Republic of Congo and moved to France as a teen. In 1989, he moved to Boston where he met his wife, Chelsea.
Dybansta Sr. went on to work as a Boston University campus police officer before he switched to being his son’s full-time manager in 2024.
Dybansta Jr. heaped some big praise on his father during a recent interview with the Deseret News, complimenting him for “making a lot of sacrifices” for him and his basketball career.
“I’ve traveled around the world with him,” Dybansta Jr. said to the outlet. “He’s my full-time manager. Most of all, he’s super strict and straightforward. He just tells me the truth. Doesn’t sugarcoat anything.”
Not much between the father and son will change now that the teenager will soon have a D.C. address — Dybansta Sr. told the Deseret News that he and Chelsea will be “living with, or near” their son, “at his request.”
