Tuesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the 80th NBA Draft unfolded and it was as star-studded as advertised. There were not many surprises in the first round, with BYU’s AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 to the Washington Wizards, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson No. 2 to the Utah Jazz, Duke’s Cameron Boozer No. 3 to the Memphis Grizzlies, North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson No. 4 to the Chicago Bulls and Illinois’ Keaton Wagler No. 5 to the LA Clippers.
A Historic #1 Pick
The Washington Wizards start a new era by taking BYU freshman forward AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick after losing nearly 200 games in the last three seasons. The 6-foot-9 wing made history in more ways than one, he is the first BYU player to be the No. 1 overall pick, and he is the first player to lead Division I in scoring and go first in the draft since Glenn Robinson out of Purdue in 1994, per ESPN
Dybantsa’s college campaign saw him average 25.5 points per game and set the Big 12 Tournament scoring record with 93 points in three games — a record that was previously held by Kevin Durant.
Every pick from the first round of the 2026 NBA draft 👏 pic.twitter.com/p0PPC1Fh1r
— ESPN (@espn) June 24, 2026
College Freshmen Show the Way
The class lived up to its billing as one of the deepest in years. Nine of the top 10 picks were college freshmen, tying the record for the most freshmen selected in the top 10, last set in 2017 and 2025. It was also the first time since 1994 that all of the first 20 picks played college basketball.
Michigan’s Lottery Heist
One of the biggest sub-stories of the night was the University of Michigan. The Dallas Mavericks selected Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9, followed by Yaxel Lendeborg to the Golden State Warriors at No. 11 and Aday Mara to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 12.
The Wolverines had three players selected in the lottery, a great accomplishment for one program.
WITH THE FIRST PICK IN THE 2026 NBA DRAFT
THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS SELECT
ANICET DYBANTSA JR. ‼️ pic.twitter.com/po8oTm6B9T
— NBA (@NBA) June 24, 2026
Trades and Storylines
Last night there was a lot of activity. The Milwaukee Bucks, moving on from the Giannis era, used the pick they got in the Antetokounmpo trade to select Tennessee forward Nate Ament, who could one day fill a role as the franchise’s next centrepiece.
Meanwhile, Arizona big man Koa Peat was one of the notable fallers of the night before the Phoenix Suns swooped in at No. 30 to snatch him with the final pick of the first round.
Round 2 tips off Wednesday night as teams look to unearth more hidden gems in what is already being dubbed one of the most talented draft classes of this generation.
