WASHINGTON — Tyson Mann may be young, but he isn’t naive.
The basketball-obsessed 11-year-old is well aware of the Washington Wizards’ longtime woes. The team’s most recent winning season predates all of his memories.
Disappointment is all Mann has ever experienced or expected with the Wiz — much like every other Wizards fan under the age of 50 — and he acts accordingly.
Thus, whenever he watched AJ Dybantsa play for BYU last year, Mann didn’t believe there was any way he ever would be a Wizard, even as they were en route to an NBA-worst 17 victories.
Washington never gets such breaks, he thought, so why waste time daydreaming about Dybantsa?
“I thought we were gonna pick fifth,” Mann told the Deseret News. “That’s all I thought, just that we were gonna get the fifth pick.”
But the luck that once seemed unthinkable arrived at the NBA draft lottery in May, where the Wizards’ likelihood of receiving the No. 1 pick jumped from 14% to 100% thanks to a miraculous combination of ping-pong balls.
However, Mann still remained uneasy. Battered fan syndrome doesn’t disappear overnight, after all, not even for an elementary school student.
“What if the front office somehow, in some way shape or form, messes this up?” Mann recalled thinking before the draft. “I was still worried, all the way down to the wire.”
Of course, Mann’s anxiety ultimately evaporated this past Tuesday when reality reflected his previous fantasy: Dybantsa standing on stage with commissioner Adam Silver as the draft’s top overall pick — and wearing a Wizards hat.
In the days since Dybantsa’s official landing in Washington, the “DMV” (D.C., Maryland and Virginia) has been buzzing about its basketball team in a way that almost feels foreign to longtime locals.
More than 5,000 fans gathered for the Wizards’ draft party at the waterfront Anthem concert venue on the Washington Channel, erupting into euphoric hysteria upon hearing the name “Anicet Dybantsa Jr.” spoken from the podium.
Two days later, another 1,000 or so supporters came down to the D.C. Wharf for Dybantsa’s “District Debut” welcome celebration, and a couple dozen diehards — including Mann — gathered at Ledo Pizza in College Park, Maryland, for a live weekend taping of the “Locked On Wizards” podcast and to further rejoice in their draft dream come true.
“The energy right now is just different, man,” said Wizards fan Alex Lucas. “We’ve needed this for so long.”
This level of “Bullets Fever” in Washington is unprecedented compared to recent years, let alone decades. The franchise’s struggles are well documented, especially having not won 50 games in a season since 1979 and leading the NBA in losses since then.
The Wizards are hardly ever the talk of the town. Now, nobody can stop talking about them.
“It’s been very sobering that people can actually discuss the basketball team and have positive conversations about it,” said “Locked On Wizards” host Ben Strober. “It’s felt so long because you had some of those prime years with John Wall and Bradley Beal, and since then, it’s really felt like the organization never had much of a chance.
“I think one of the most exciting things about sports is hope, and AJ brings hope back to D.C. It’s a hotbed for basketball in this town, but it just hasn’t felt like it because the professional team hasn’t been worth discussing for a long time, so (the recent buzz) is definitely a paradigm shift.”
‘He’s just insane’
Eli Bloom has been all-in on Dybantsa since Day 1.
He watched as many BYU games as he could this past year, observing the consistent dominance that resulted in Dybantsa being the national scoring leader as a freshman and earning First Team All-American honors.
The vast majority of Wizards fans seemed to want Dybantsa over Darryn Peterson or Cameron Boozer, with Bloom explaining how the Cougar phenom’s tape went a long way in such a preference.
“He’s just insane, he’s the player prototype general managers really covet, like a big do-it-all wing you can build everything around,” Bloom said.
“... The way he moves, his footwork, his bends and just his ability to create his own shot at will, that will all translate in the NBA. The amount of moves he already has in his bag and the way he can read defenses, that’s pretty nuts for a guy who’s 19 years old now.”
Wizards junkie Jack Haynes — he was rocking Kyshawn George’s jersey as a tank top while sitting at the Ledo bar — said he was a Peterson believer a year ago, but since flipped his allegiance to AJ over the course of the college basketball season, having become tantalized by the 6-foot-9, 42-inch vertical-owning Dybantsa and his professional ceiling.
“He just has the physical attributes to be a stud in the league, like a 30 (points), five (rebounds) and five (assists) type of guy,” Haynes said.
“... He gets to the rim. It’s the most efficient shot in basketball. If you can get to the rim like he can, you’ll be a great scorer in the league.”
For some fans, Dybantsa having played for BYU — whether they already knew of the Provo school or not — specifically stood out as part of why they were sold on him.
“The thing that really got me was (Dybantsa playing at BYU). He didn’t want to go to a blue blood. He wanted to help put his school on the map,” said Thomas Anderson.
“The Wizards have been in the dark for so long ... I saw it in his eyes, where he was like, ‘I’m going to be the reason that this city is different.’ He’s like, ‘Let’s stay here and turn the franchise around.’”
As unfortunate as Richie Saunders’ torn ACL was for the Cougars, Dybantsa’s response to the unexpected challenge and how he navigated his added offensive responsibilities amid heavier defensive attention was a popular anecdote among members of Wiz Nation in sharing reasons for their belief in Dybantsa.
“I think he learned how to adapt and change his role within a different circumstance, because obviously you’re going to face a lot of adversity in an NBA career. Every year it can be different, every single game can be different depending on who’s on the floor or what your situation is,” said Strober.
“I think he showed that he can pick up ancillary skills and he can develop his game in a way that makes other people around him better. You look at the playmaking he did in the last 10 games (after Saunders’ injury), that’s what really impressed me.”
Now, Dybantsa will look to make plays for other members of Washington’s young core including George, Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr and Will Riley, along with veteran All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis, assuming the latter isn’t dealt elsewhere during the summer.
“He comes in as the face of the team immediately,” Bloom said. “The Wizards’ young core has a lot of good complementary players, a lot of talented players, but none of them who project to be the face of the team.
“That’s where AJ comes in, as the No. 1 scoring option who can get to the rim, create for others and score at all three levels. He fits in perfectly.”
‘You actually couldn’t draw up a better guy to build around’
Washington’s most recent No. 1 draft pick before Dybantsa is still beloved in the DMV.
John Wall, drafted first overall in 2010, averaged 19.0 points and 9.2 assists per game across nine seasons with the Wizards. He made five All-Star teams, is the franchise’s career leader in both assists and steals, and is now back with the organization as a television analyst and basketball ambassador.
For the several generations of fans who never experienced Hall of Famers Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes or the 1978 NBA champion Bullets, Wall is Washington basketball.
Wall’s local legend status cemented itself even further at the draft lottery, where he served as the Wizards’ representative — and apparent good luck charm — as the team won the right to pick first and select Dybantsa in this year’s draft, thus connecting Wall and Dybantsa for life.
Less than 72 hours after first donning the Wizards’ draft hat, Dybantsa attended a basketball court dedication for Wall in downtown Washington, where the pair ended the event by connecting for a “ceremonial first dime” — Wall dished the rock to Dybantsa, who leaped up for a casual slam.
For Wall-loving Wizards fans, it was a “passing the torch moment” from Washington’s past hero to its new hope.
“John was the face of the franchise for a while, and he’s still the guy that we admire,” Bloom said. “That’s who AJ is going to be, who we hope he’s going to be. It’s awesome to see him there already trying to integrate himself in the community.”
Aside from the assist at his court dedication, Wall has also been dishing out advice for Dybantsa as well, telling him to “really tap into the community” during his time repping the District.
Given his various charitable endeavors at BYU and beyond, it’s safe to assume Dybantsa will continue with similar projects as a Wizard. But in the brief time he’s already spent in D.C., Dybantsa has made a concerted effort to connect with as many fans as possible, and doing so during his District Debut appearance truly charmed members of the local media.
“He genuinely seemed to enjoy and embrace all of the interactions, you know what I mean?” said Washington radio personality Eric Bickel this past Friday on “The Sports Junkies” show, currently celebrating its 30th year on the air as a DMV institution. “He went out of his way to shake hands and say hi (to fans). He gets it, he’s a people person, he knows how it works.
“You actually couldn’t draw up a better guy to build around. Forget about the talent, which is otherworldly, he knows he’s a star. ... But I think what it is, is it’s a real testament to his parents and how they raised him.”
Bickel continued, “You’re not going to worry about (AJ), nothing horrible is going to happen. The parents are dialed in, he’s super respectful of his parents, super respectful of his teachers … he understands and respects his roots and where he came from.”
Strober had a quick one-on-one interaction with Dybantsa at his introductory presser, where he felt he was treated as an equal by the Wizards’ new star and was struck by his approachability and thoughtfulness.
“It impressed me how he was able to take himself out of the situation and realize we’re all human at the end of the day,” Strober said.
“... He was polite, he was respectful, and for somebody that’s been in the spotlight for as long as he has, I appreciated that. It gave me a window into who he actually is, and I can understand why the organization keeps on talking (glowingly) about who he is as a person.”
Ask Wizards fans about Dybantsa and the same few words and phrases always seem to come up: Charismatic. Likable. Funny. Humble, yet confident.
A few different Washingtonians echoed similar thoughts to one another, that Dybantsa “talks the way Wizards players never talk” and “says things we aren’t used to around here.”
And while they’re excited to see all of the off-the-court goodness Dybantsa will provide, Wizards fans also definitely want him to lean into his rivalry with the newest member of the Utah Jazz.
“He’s just a really good person to have around, funny, confident, but also humble. I definitely think he has that Rookie of the Year potential,” said Mann, who then turned a sly grin.
“All he needs to do is get past Darryn Peterson, which shouldn’t be too hard.”
Worldwide Wizards?
It’s no secret that NBA fans have long viewed Washington as a punchline.
The Wizards have lost a lot of games. They’ve whiffed on draft swings such as Kwame Brown and Johnny Davis, while famously passing on both Steph Curry and Kawhi Leonard.
There have been plenty of widely-ridiculed contracts handed out by the team, along with documentaries detailing its dysfunction. The Wizards even allowed Bam Adebayo to score 83 points less than four months ago.
But the Washington fans who have remained loyal through all the heartache and frustration are confident in the future of the franchise under key decision-makers Will Dawkins and Michael Winger, whose vision has now yielded Dybantsa, Young, Davis and the aforementioned young core.
The Wizards haven’t had a winning season since 2018 or made the playoffs since ‘21, but fans believe Dybantsa’s arrival is a signal that — similar to the Jazz — they’re done with tanking and serious about winning again.
“I have modest expectations for Year 1 (with Dybantsa),” Lucas said. “I could see them in the play-in, we have the infrastructure to really carry that right now. We can make some noise in the East, and it will eventually be sustained noise as well.”
But more than Dybantsa bringing hope for winning in Washington is the hope he brings for respectability. The Wizards matter in the DMV and Baltimore, but they don’t register much of anything elsewhere.
Dybantsa, meanwhile, has had substantial endorsement deals since high school, was on Times Square billboards in college and is a rising star within the Nike brand.
He’s a modern-day basketball influencer, and his influence is incalculable. Perhaps Dybantsa becomes the kind of player who creates bandwagon Wizards fans or puts the team on the map overseas.
“The Wizards have really struggled to find an identity, something that makes them unique outside of just not being very good, for a long time,” said Strober.
“But with a player like AJ, who’s very marketable, very charismatic and carries himself this way, I think he can make the Wizards’ brand known globally as something to be respected.”
Washington has been waiting decades for someone to lift it to new hoop heights. It’s a basketball town at its core, but the local NBA product has rarely matched the passion felt for the sport within the area.
But those days are over, according to Wizards fans. It’s a new era in the nation’s capital, with a superstar from BYU at the forefront of the revolution.
A lifetime of lows have led to this — the opportunity for Dybantsa to orchestrate scores of joyous, exhilarating memories in D.C.
He’s viewed as the Wizard with the magic touch, one who could hoist a championship trophy on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and whose No. 4 jersey could someday hang from the Capital One Arena rafters.
“We haven’t had someone with this kind of star power before,” Lucas said. “You see (Dybantsa) on these media tours, he has a personality that just resonates with everybody, and it’s really, really unique. We really haven’t had that ever.
“We’re always looking for that signature moment. ... I’m just looking forward to those punctuating games from AJ. I know we’re going to have so many of those, let’s go.”
