AJ Dybantsa Says He Was Just Trolling About Taking Trae Young’s No. 3

AJ Dybantsa landed in Washington as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, and almost immediately there was chatter about jersey numbers. Trae Young wears No. 3 for the Wizards. Dybantsa wore No. 3 at BYU. And months ago, Dybantsa joked on a podcast that he’d take that number right off Young’s back if the Wizards drafted him.

But now that it’s actually happening? He’s backing off.

Dybansta told reporters after the draft that he was just kidding around. “I was trolling,” he said. “I’m going to respect the vets. He is Trae. Trae is 3.” Then he added, with a laugh, “But if he wants to give me the number, I’ll take the number.”

Young himself brought up the number drama in his welcome tweet, signing off with “We’ll talk about that #soon.” Which is exactly the kind of playful needle you’d expect from a guy who has been in the league long enough to know how rookie hazing works.

The number talk is just one piece of a bigger Wizards picture

Washington has been quietly stacking young talent the last couple seasons. With Dybantsa now in the mix alongside Young, the franchise has a backcourt that could be fun for a long time. Young signed a four-year extension earlier this year, so the timeline lines up.

There’s also Anthony Davis in the frontcourt, though his long-term status is less certain. The team is expected to try to work out an extension with Davis, but until that’s done, there’s always some background noise about whether he wants to stay.

For now, the rook is saying all the right things. He’s deferring to the veteran. He’s not demanding anything. But you have to wonder if Young, who has a history of being generous with teammates, might hand over No. 3 as a gesture. It wouldn’t be the first time a star gave up his number for a highly touted rookie.

Fans online had mixed reactions. Some thought Dybantsa was smart to back off and not start his NBA career with a jersey beef. Others thought the whole thing was funny either way and didn’t matter much. Which is probably the correct take.

Either way, Dybantsa will be wearing something on opening night. What that number is might still be up for discussion.