"He plays more like, to me, LeBron": BYU commit AJ Dybantsa's father does not agree with his son comparing himself to Tracy McGrady

AJ Dybantsa’s dad, Ace, has disagreed with his son’s claim that he plays like former 7x All-Star Tracy McGrady and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, saying his son's style is closer to Lakers star LeBron James.

Dybantsa’s dad talked about it on Tuesday while he was on ESPN’s "First Take" for his son’s college commitment announcement. On the show, after announcing BYU as his college, AJ Dybantsa said he models his game after McGrady and the OKC Thunder star.

“I play like a mix of Tracy McGrady and Shai, Dybantsa said on First Take at the (00:02:40) mark of the interview.

However, his father disagreed with his assessment when he was asked by ESPN’s Stephen A Smith.

“I’m really proud of him. He’s, like he said, the combination of Tracy McGrady and Shai, but he plays more like, to me, LeBron. Because he does everything. He can playmake, he can score, play defense, rebound. Although his rebounding needs some work,” Dybantsa’s dad said.

Although the 6-foot-9 Dybantsa plays primarily as a small forward, his stats show that he is indeed a versatile player. This season, the Utah Prep small forward is averaging 14.0 points, 14.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 assists per game.

At the 2024 FIBA U-17 World Cup, Dybantsa also averaged 14.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 4.1 apg. He had 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals against France in the opener.

AJ Dybantsa taking his talents to BYU

The speculations surrounding where AJ Dybantsa will play college basketball ended on Tuesday when the Utah Prep small forward announced his decision. Dybantsa chose BYU from the numerous options he had.

The No.1 prospect in the class of 2025 had offers from Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas, who all matched the asking price of approximately $5 million in name, image and likeness money to sign him, as reported by CBS Sports' Matt Norlander.

However, the Brockton, Massachusetts native ultimately chose BYU because it aligns with his goal to play in the NBA.

Dybantsa’s commitment to BYU has reportedly raised his NIL value close to $7 million, per Adam Zagoria of the New York Times.

The 17-year-old already has deals with Nike and Red Bull, which are reportedly worth $1 million combined, according to Bleacher Report.