"I hope to just be on TV with what Shaq [O’Neal] and them do": AJ Dybantsa jokes about his post-basketball plans after revealing his choice of major

Five-star Utah Prep star small forward AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 ranked prospect in the country, is headed to Provo, Utah, to study at BYU. On Dec. 13, he sat down with Andscape for an interview, and he had a shocking pick of college major, as well as an expected post-basketball career.

Andscape asked Dybantsa what he wanted to study and whether he would eventually try to get his degree. Dybantsa, who has been honest about being a one-and-done and entering the NBA draft after his first year at BYU, revealed he would be studying financial planning but said he would be more of a sports analyst post-basketball career.

"I’m going to study financial planning. But when I’m done playing basketball, I hope to just be on TV with what Shaq [O’Neal] and them do," Dybantsa said in the interview.

This reveal got Andscape to ask if he has the personality to be a TV personality like Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith. Dybantsa noted that he thinks so because people told him he does.

As for what his mother thinks of him choosing BYU, Dybantsa noted that she loves the city the school is in:

"My mom actually loves Provo. She loves the scenery. She loves the school. She been on all the visits. So, my mom’s more of the academic side and she liked the academic part of it, and she just thought it was a good fit. My mom has a nose for things, and this is one of her choices, too."

Dybantsa chose BYU over traditional powerhouse schools such as Kansas, North Carolina, and Alabama. The school reportedly offered him a $7 million NIL deal to play at Provo, even though this would just be for one year. Should his plans push through, he is projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

AJ Dybantsa says he is talented enough to play in the NBA right now

Because of the NBA's age restrictions, AJ Dybantsa cannot go directly to the NBA from high school like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett. He has to stay at least one year in college, and Dybantsa was asked in the interview if he thought he was good enough to play in the league.

"Yeah. Obviously, you just got to learn different things. If I were to get to a training camp, summer league, I just have to get used to that [3-point] line," he said.

As for whether he would go directly to the NBA from high school if it were still allowed, AJ Dybantsa revealed that he would still probably go to college first because he promised his mom to do so.