LOS ANGELES, Calif. — BYU’s AJ Dybantsa was named to the 2026 John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal All-American Team as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Tuesday evening.
This is the latest All-America honor for Dybantsa for the 2025-26 season. A unanimous consensus First-Team honoree, the 6-foot-9 forward earned first team accolades from Associated Press, NABC, USBWA and The Sporting News.
Dybantsa is also one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award that will be presented on Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m. MT on ESPNU at the Los Angeles Athletic Club as part of The Golden Anniversary celebration. It will be broadcast on ESPNU.
| John R. Wooden Award Men's All America Team | ||||
| Player | School | Class | Position | Height |
| Darius Acuff Jr.* | Arkansas | Freshman | Guard | 6-3 |
| Cameron Boozer* | Duke | Freshman | Forward | 6-9 |
| AJ Dybantsa* | BYU | Freshman | Forward | 6-9 |
| Jeremy Fears Jr. | Michigan State | R-Sophomore | Guard | 6-2 |
| Kingston Flemings | Houston | Freshman | Guard | 6-4 |
| Joshua Jefferson | Iowa State | Senior | Forward | 6-9 |
| Yaxel Lendeborg* | Michigan | Grad Student | Forward | 6-9 |
| Braden Smith* | Purdue | Senior | Guard | 6-0 |
| JT Toppin | Texas Tech | Junior | Forward | 6-0 |
| Keaton Wagler | Illinois | Freshman | Guard | 6-6 |
* selected as finalist for the 2025-26 Wooden Award presented by Principal
The Big 12 Freshman of the Year led the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game, scoring in double figures in all 35 games as a Cougar. He set 21 BYU freshman season and single-game records leading BYU to the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season.
His 894 points are the second-most in a single season in program history and the third-most by a freshman in the history of NCAA Division I men’s basketball. He scored 20 or more points 28 times including eight 30-point performances highlighted by his freshman record 43 points in a win over Utah at the Marriott Center.
BYU AJ Dybantsa pic.twitter.com/khMwAOqTBm
— Pitless (@pitlessball) March 20, 2026
Dybantsa was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team after breaking Kevin Durant’s tournament scoring record with 93 points. He opened the tournament with 40 points in a win over Kansas State, breaking the former Longhorns' freshman single-game tournament scoring record.
The Brockton, Mass. native became the second player in Big 12 history to record a 30/10/10 triple-double and first of the point/assist/rebound variety. In the Cougars' non-conference finale, Dybantsa finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 109-81 win over Eastern Washington.
About the John R. Wooden Award
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball, recognizing the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, the Wooden Award All-America Teams for men and women, and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legends of Coaching recipient.
Honorees are certified by their universities as meeting Wooden Award standards established by Coach Wooden, including progress toward graduation and at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Past winners include Larry Bird 1979, Michael Jordan 1984, Tim Duncan 1997, Kevin Durant 2007, Candace Parker 2007 and 2008, Maya Moore 2009 and 2011, Chiney Ogwumike 2014, and last year's recipients Juju Watkins of USC and Cooper Flagg of Duke.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to universities’ general scholarship funds and nonprofit enterprises in the names of the Wooden Award All-American recipients, and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps.
The John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long event brings together Special Olympics athletes, Wooden Award All-Americans, and attending coaches. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
The mission of the John R. Wooden Award Foundation (JRWAF) is to promote teamwork, academic excellence, and character development, reflecting the enduring values of John R. Wooden. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the JRWAF serves as an angel organization, independently guiding the funding of educational, athletic, and philanthropic initiatives. A dedicated board of directors leads the Foundation’s efforts, committed to advancing John R. Wooden’s legacy and the timeless principles of his Pyramid of Success.
For the latest updates, visit WoodenAward.com and follow @WoodenAward on X, Instagram, and Threads; to learn more about the Los Angeles Athletic Club, visit LAAC.com.