Click here to discover the other 24 athletes in the Men’s Health 25, a celebration of the top athletes in the high school class of 2025.
AJ DYBANTSA REMEMBERS picking up a basketball for the first time at age 5 and immediately gravitating to the game. “I was a natural competitor,” he says. “But I also enjoyed playing. It was just really fun.” But the game got serious quickly for Dybantsa, the top-rated basketball recruit who has his sights set on winning a national championship with the Brigham Young University Cougars. He entered high school at 6’5″ tall before sprouting all the way up to 6’9″ and 211 pounds—close to Kevin Durant–size proportions.
Dybantsa’s game—a mix of above-the-rim finishing, midrange shotmaking, and elastic defense—is already at a pro level. “I’ve worked out with Bron,” Dybantsa drops casually, referring to NBA ironman LeBron James. “I’ve worked out with a lot of the top guys. I wish I had the chance to work out with Kobe.” He cites Bryant’s Mamba mentality as an inspiration and wears Nike Kobe 5s.
Dybantsa comes across as wry and reticent compared to his fiery on-court demeanor. As a freshman, the small forward led Saint Sebastian’s high school to a state championship in Massachusetts. The following year, he moved from Brockton, his hometown, to join a high school super team called Prolific Prep in Napa, California, for “more exposure.“ For his senior year, he transferred to Utah Prep in Hurricane, Utah, to team up with JJ Mandaquit, a highly regarded point guard with whom Dybantsa won gold medals on the U.S. junior national basketball team in 2023 and ’24—Dybantsa’s proudest on-court achievement.
Now 18 years old, Dybantsa has had to become as shrewd in the business of basketball as he is on the court. Heavily recruited by hoops powerhouses, he announced on ESPN’s First Take that he was signing with BYU—a storied program reinventing itself in an era when student-athletes now get paid. It has been widely reported that BYU offered him a $5 million name, image, and likeness compensation package—but Dybantsa’s business advisor, Leonard Armato, said his client’s decision had more to do with the culture fit than the money. Dybantsa also has deals with Red Bull and Nike. But when it comes to splurging on himself or anyone else, he says, “I haven’t gotten there yet.”
Dybantsa has already reached rarefied air—but he’s sacrificed a lot. Leaving his hometown wasn’t easy, he says. Though his father, Ace, supported him through those moves, it was tough leaving behind his mother and two sisters. Then there’s the time he spends working at his craft. He dedicates 24 hours a week to the hoops grind and even watches videos of his workouts afterward to make small adjustments. It’s expected Dybantsa will leave Brigham Young early next spring to enter the 2026 NBA draft, where he is already projected to be the number-one pick. (In fact, he might’ve gone number one this year if he hadn’t reclassed.) All of which is to say: His years of sweat and sacrifice are about to pay off big-time.
Click here to discover the other 24 athletes in the Men’s Health 25, a celebration of the top athletes in the high school class of 2025.
This story appears in the July/August 2025 issue of Men’s Health.
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Andrew Lawrence is a freelance writer, and has written for Sports Illustrated, The Guardian, The Atlantic, The Athletic, The Dallas Morning News, the Associated Press, Fortune, Southern Living, Austin Monthly, Complex, Cookie, Bet.com, ESPN.com and The Classical. It is based in Beaufort, South Carolina.
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