The mother of AJ Dybantsa would prefer her son to remain in college rather than head immediately to the NBA Draft, where he is hoping to be the No 1 overall pick.
Dybantsa said he will likely decide his future in ‘the next couple of weeks’ after the freshman failed to prevent BYU from crashing out of March Madness in the first round.
The Cougars were beaten by the No 11-seeded Texas Longhorns, despite Dybantsa putting in a record-breaking performance that included 35 points and 10 rebounds.
The 19-year-old must now decide whether he heads straight for the NBA draft or plays another year in college.
He will spend the coming weeks speaking to his family, notably his mother Chelsea. ‘She’s kind of the big boss,’ 6ft 9ins Dybantsa said. ‘Just talk to her and see what she says.’
On the eve of March Madness, the Daily Mail was told that she would rather he remain at BYU for now to prioritize his education. The NBA Draft will take place this summer.
AJ Dybantsa’s mom would prefer her son to remain at BYU rather than head to the NBA Draft
‘She’s kind of the big boss,’ 6ft 9ins Dybantsa said about his mother, Chelsea (pictured)
The Cougars were beaten by the No 11-seeded Texas Longhorns, despite Dybantsa’s heroics
Dybantsa admitted recently that he ‘might not leave college,’ revealing that his mother was keen for him to graduate.
He is already amassing a fortune in college, having signed an NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deal with BYU that is reportedly worth $5million. The 19-year-old also has deals with Nike, Fanatics and Red Bull.
Until Thursday night, no freshman had ever scored 35 points in his debut in the men’s NCAA tournament. But Dybantsa’s hopes of being the No 1 overall pick could be dashed by the likes of Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke star Cam Boozer.
The 19-year-old chose BYU in large part because of Kevin Young, the Cougars’ ex-NBA coach who previously worked with stars including Joel Embiid and Dybantsa’s hero, Kevin Durant.
After Thursday night’s loss, Young said that – if this proves to be Dybantsa’s final game in college – he is grateful to have worked with the freshman.
‘I think I’ll look back in 20 years and just have a lot of joy [knowing] that I was able to be a part of his story,’ Young said. ‘There were moments in tonight’s game that he looked like an NBA player.’
