BYU basketball and NBA veteran Isiah Thomas share their reactions as AJ Dybantsa recaps his visit to Marriott Center in latest IG post 

AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 recruit, signed for the BYU Cougars on Dec. 12. He will join the Cougars next season as he continues to wrap up his final season at Utah Prep. However, the 6-foot-9 small forward has been visiting his future team, with his latest visit coming during their match against West Virginia on Sunday.

Dybantsa shared some images from his visit on Instagram, showing him sitting in the locker room with the fans, giving an interview and more. NBA Hall of Famer and the 12-time NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas also commented on Dybantsa's post:

BYU basketball and NBA veteran Isiah Thomas shared their reactions as AJ Dybantsa recaps his visit to Marriott Center in his latest IG post (Image: IG/aj.dybantsa)

Thomas commented with three race flags emojis. Furthermore, AJ Dybantsa also took to his Instagram story to share an image he took with the fans after the game:

PHOTO: No. 1 prospect AJ Dybantsa shares a moment with BYU fans at Marriott Center (Image: IG/aj.dybantsa)

"told em i'll post em go cougs," he wrote in the caption.

Before committing to the Cougars, Dybantsa visited BYU's home matches with his father, Ace Dybantsa. It is safe to say that the Brockton, Massachusetts native has become a fan favorite after a video of fans chanting his name emerged.

The video was posted by former Utah Statesman sports writer Nathan Dunn on X (formerly Twitter):

"Dybantsa is going through the ROC, to 'AJ' chants," Dunn said.

The No. 25 Cougars were led by Fousseyni Traore, who came off the bench to record a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He also dished out two assists and shot 69.2% to lead the Cougars to a 77-56 win.

The Cougars sit with a 21-8 overall and 12-6 record in the Big Ten.

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AJ Dybantsa is projected as the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA mock draft

ESPN's Jonathan Givony put AJ Dybantsa as the No. 2 pick in a 2026 NBA mock draft. He follows Darryn Peterson, who is the projected first-overall selection.

Dybantsa gave his take on the rankings:

“I didn’t even see that, so that’s news to me," Dybantsa said. "It’s always a blessing to be in the top, in that lottery rank, because it’s a blessing to get drafted. ... We try to aim for the top, so we’re trying to get that No. 1 spot. (I’ts) still a mock draft, so we still got a year to work, so we’ll be fine."

Dybantsa will be joined by Xavion Staton and Chamberlain Burgress at Kevin Young's side next season.