{"id":2892,"date":"2026-06-26T20:39:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892"},"modified":"2026-06-26T20:39:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:39:56","slug":"were-happy-to-go-to-the-district-aj-dybantsas-father-ace-dishes-on-his-familys-nba-draft-emotions-and-love-for-byu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

BROOKLYN \u2014 It\u2019s a story Ace Dybantsa loves to tell.<\/p>\n

When his son, AJ, was in sixth grade, he returned home with a C-minus grade on a test. Such a performance wouldn\u2019t fly with Ace, and he hatched the most effective plan to ensure AJ understood that going forward.<\/p>\n

Read more Why Rep. Burgess Owens touts apprenticeships as wise career-path educational options<\/a><\/p>\n

Basketball-obsessed AJ\u2019s next AAU tournament was in Philadelphia, more than five hours away from the Dybantsa\u2019s home of Brockton, Massachusetts. Ace drove AJ all the way down to Philly, but the younger Dybantsa was forbidden from taking the court. He spent the entirety of the weekend tournament watching from the sidelines, unable to help his team because of his recent setback in the classroom.<\/p>\n

Thus, in the city of brotherly love, AJ Dybantsa received a life-changing dose of fatherly-discipline.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom that point on, there was nothing but honors (on AJ\u2019s report card),\u201d Ace Dybantsa told a scrum of reporters at the NBA Draft in Brooklyn earlier this week. \u201cAJ excelled in basketball, and here we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such discipline and strictness, along with unwavering family support \u2014 as previously profiled by the Deseret News \u2014 have proven paramount in AJ Dybantsa\u2019s ascension into a basketball superstar, having been selected with the top pick in Tuesday\u2019s NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscipline, discipline and discipline,\u201d Ace Dybantsa said, when asked about how he helped rear AJ to the point of hearing his name called first in the draft.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Ace Dybantsa reflects on his son AJ Dybantsa being the #1 Pick in the NBA Draft pic.twitter.com\/3vE8RSybAP<\/p>\n

\u2014 BYUtv Sports Nation (@BYUSportsNation) June 24, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201c… He\u2019s the one back in sixth grade who told me he wanted to play basketball, professional basketball. I told him he was dreaming, but he insisted. I was like, \u2018AJ, there\u2019s only 450 players in the league. You have zero chance.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018I really want to do it, I really want to do it.\u2019 So I used that to motivate him to education. I said, \u2018Fine, I\u2019m going to help you try to achieve your goal, but you have to listen to me. Listening to me means good grades at school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ace Dybantsa said he was holding back tears upon AJ being chosen early in Tuesday\u2019s draft as the first No. 1 pick to ever come from BYU. <\/p>\n

Commissioner Adam Silver used AJ\u2019s full name \u2014 Anicet Dybantsa Sr. \u2014 to announce his selection, and since Ace is Anicet Sr., hearing the full name was especially meaningful for the Dybantsas.<\/p>\n

Read more Davis\u2019 Bode Sparrow, top Utah prep recruit, commits to Oklahoma<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how to explain it,\u201d AJ said after being drafted. \u201cSo many sacrifices that (Ace)\u2019s made. He quit his job just to retire to come move in with me at Utah Prep (as a high school senior) so I\u2019d be safe \u2026 All the little stuff that I didn\u2019t notice he was doing at a young age is obviously paying off now. He\u2019s my dad. I mean, he acts as my manager, he does a whole bunch of stuff that he doesn\u2019t have to do, but I just give him the utmost thanks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted Adam to call me Anicet because I want to also honor my dad. He is Anicet Dybantsa Sr. I mean, it\u2019s my day today, but without (Ace) I wouldn\u2019t be here, so I wanted to add his name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
Related<\/div>\n
AJ Dybantsa\u2019s dad used discipline, strictness and unity to produce a top NBA draft pick<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ace said he learned of Washington\u2019s intention to select his son when Silver announced the name \u201cAnicet\u201d from the podium, claiming he was not given any sort of promise from the organization beforehand.<\/p>\n

The Dybantsas were thrilled about AJ going No. 1, and they\u2019re also pleased that he\u2019ll be going to the Wizards, according to Ace. \u201cWe\u2019re happy to go to the District, looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Ace and AJ will be moving out to Washington, AJ\u2019s mother Chelsea and sister Jasmyn will remain out in Utah for the latter to finish high school \u2014 a decision largely influenced by the \u201cexcellent\u201d experience the Dybantsas have had in the Beehive State and at BYU.<\/p>\n

Ace credited BYU head coach Kevin Young for his work with AJ to become the nation\u2019s leading scorer, a First Team All-American and now sit atop a talented draft class.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, KY did a great job,\u201d Ace told the Deseret News. \u201cI mean, (AJ) chose (BYU), he\u2019s the one that chose. I didn\u2019t make (the decision). He chose to go there because of the pro-style offense that he was going to run, and they did a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cougars may have dealt with a tall amount of adversity during AJ\u2019s lone campaign in Provo, Ace feels that learning to navigate the lows at BYU was just as crucial for his son\u2019s development as reaching his peaks as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe handled (challenges) right, AJ is the ultimate team player,\u201d Ace said. \u201cI mean, he\u2019s the number one player in the country. He could have just done it his way, but he always wants to involve his teammate, always. Hopefully that won\u2019t change with the Wizards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more International rescue teams mobilize to aid earthquake recovery in Venezuela<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dybantsa was selected No. 1 overall by the Wizards out of BYU.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU - American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dybantsa was selected No. 1 overall by the Wizards out of BYU.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-26T20:39:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-26T20:39:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892\"},\"wordCount\":929,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/57f9f5ad573738982a8d993e95907a79.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892\",\"name\":\"\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU - American Movers Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/57f9f5ad573738982a8d993e95907a79.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-26T20:39:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/57f9f5ad573738982a8d993e95907a79.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/57f9f5ad573738982a8d993e95907a79.avif\",\"width\":630,\"height\":331},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=2892#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"American Movers Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU - American Movers Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU - American Movers Hub","og_description":"Dybantsa was selected No. 1 overall by the Wizards out of BYU.","og_url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892","og_site_name":"American Movers Hub","article_published_time":"2026-06-26T20:39:56+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af"},"headline":"\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU","datePublished":"2026-06-26T20:39:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892"},"wordCount":929,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/57f9f5ad573738982a8d993e95907a79.avif","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892","url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892","name":"\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU - American Movers Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/57f9f5ad573738982a8d993e95907a79.avif","datePublished":"2026-06-26T20:39:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/57f9f5ad573738982a8d993e95907a79.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/57f9f5ad573738982a8d993e95907a79.avif","width":630,"height":331},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=2892#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018We\u2019re happy to go to the District\u2019 \u2014 AJ Dybantsa\u2019s father, Ace, dishes on his family\u2019s NBA draft emotions and love for BYU"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/","name":"American Movers Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/americanmovershub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}