AJ Dybantsa is done being a fan. The top prospect in the 2026 NBA Draft class made that clear this week when he sat down with Stephen A. Smith and dropped a line that’s going to stick with Boston fans for a while.
Dybantsa grew up in Massachusetts. He went to Celtics games. He rooted for them like anyone else. But in the clip posted by NBA Base, he flatly said he’s not a Celtics fan anymore. His reasoning? He’s about to get drafted. And once you’re in the league, you don’t cheer for the team — you compete against them.
“I’m a Celtics fan. I’ve been to multiple Celtics games… but now I’m not a Celtics fan anymore ‘cuz I’m about to get drafted. I’m not going to be a fan of them,” Dybantsa said. “I told you I’m not a fan anymore, so I don’t really care what they do.”
It’s a blunt way to put it, but it’s also just honest. Dybantsa has been the No. 1 ranked prospect since eighth grade. He’s been holding that spot for years. The guy knows where he’s going. He’s not pretending otherwise.
No workouts. No problem.
Here’s the thing about Dybantsa’s approach to the pre-draft process. He didn’t do any of the traditional workouts. No on-court sessions for teams to pick apart his game. He told Baseline Banter that he skipped all of it.
The Wizards and Jazz were among the teams doing their homework on lottery-level talent. But Dybantsa felt no need to run through drills for them. He figures they already know what he can do. Instead, he limited his pre-draft activities to facility tours, city visits, and dinners. That’s it. No sweat. No tape to overanalyze.
He’s betting on the résumé he’s already built. And honestly, with the hype around the 2026 class being called one of the deepest in recent memory, he might be right to keep it simple.
Translation: He’s all business now
Dybantsa made it clear that the personal sentimentality of being a home-state fan is gone. It’s not personal. It’s professional. He’s about to be a player, not a spectator. And that shift in identity is something he’s already locked into.
He also admitted that the full weight of it hasn’t hit him yet. He expects it will on draft night. That’s when the whole thing feels real. Until then, he’s coasting on confidence and a perfectly maintained No. 1 ranking that’s lasted longer than most kids’ attention spans.
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