AJ Dybantsa has yet to play a minute of college basketball for BYU, but he’s already gracing the covers of magazines.
Dybantsa was featured on the cover of the July and August edition of Men’s Health.
Men’s Health selected Dybantsa as one of its top 25 athletes of the class of 2025.
The other 24 members of Men’s Health’s list are:
- Tomo Allen, soccer
- Keelon Russell, football
- Thomas Heilman, swimming
- Ryan McDonald, weightlifting
- Gary Merrill, lacrosse
- Ben Willwerth, tennis
- Jonathan Yang, judo
- Raylon Murry, rugby
- Ethan Holliday, baseball
- Adam Lakomy, gymnastics
- Tommy Latham, track and field
- Jin Kang, archery
- Dane Libby, surfing
- Ori Radwin, crew/rowing
- Arian Canete, taekwondo
- Brayden Williams, sprinter
- Marek Turner, volleyball
- Simon Lioznyanksy, fencing
- Jack Murtagh, hockey
- Ashlin Barry, cycling
- Kihei Akina, golf
- Marcus Blaze, wrestling
- Kā’eo and Kūlani Subion, crossfit
- Owen Bloch, esports
What AJ Dybantsa told Men’s Health
In his interview with Men’s Health, Dybantsa revealed that he spends 24 hours each week on his basketball workouts and training and that he often rewatches his workouts.
The cover story is less than 500 words, but Dybantsa gave a few insights into his basketball “grind.” He mentioned his workout with LeBron James and the athlete he wishes he could work out with.
“I’ve worked out with a lot of the top guys. I wish I had the chance to work out with Kobe (Bryant),” he said.
Dybantsa also shared what he considers his proudest on-court achievement to be thus far: his 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup and 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship gold medals.
But as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Dybantsa will likely experience many achievements that could take that title later in his career, such as the national championship he told Men’s Health that he wants to win at BYU.
While the article is relatively short, the online edition also includes a nearly five-minute video where the five-star recruit walks viewers through one of his workouts.
In the video, Dybantsa talks about his workouts at BYU.
“I have started with my BYU workouts. It’s different from high school. It’s more intense — not necessarily higher weights but just more intense. It’s a more physical league, so you gotta get stronger, you gotta get faster, you gotta get bigger,“ he said.
What’s next for AJ Dybantsa?
Before Dybantsa takes the court for BYU, he has a chance to add to his trophy case this summer while playing for Team USA at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup. He was named to the roster last week, as the Deseret News previously reported.
The tournament starts Saturday and runs through July 6. Dybantsa and the United States’ first game against Australia tips off at 9:15 a.m. MDT and will be streamed on YouTube.