AJ Dybantsa just earned perhaps his final major collegiate accolade.
The former BYU star and No. 1 overall NBA draft selection has been named the Big 12’s Male Athlete of the Year, the conference announced Thursday.
Dybantsa is the first Cougars player from any sport to receive Athlete of the Year honors from the Big 12 since joining the league in 2023. His female counterpart for the award is TCU women’s basketball standout Olivia Miles, a consensus All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year.
Each Big 12 school nominated one of its male and female athletes for the award, with a 16-member media panel voting to decide the ultimate winners.
Dybantsa was selected over a group of nominees including fellow basketball talents such as Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson and Houston’s Kingston Flemings, along with Utah offensive lineman and No. 9 overall NFL draft pick Spencer Fano.
During his lone campaign in Provo, Dybantsa led the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game, shooting 51% from the field while averaging 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists in one of the most dominant seasons in BYU program history.
He was named the Big 12’s Freshman of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American, joining Danny Ainge and Jimmer Fredette as the only BYU players to earn the latter recognition.
The Washington Wizards took Dybantsa with the first pick in June’s NBA draft, where he averaged 25.0 points and 7.0 rebounds across two Summer League games and is viewed as a potential franchise-altering cornerstone in D.C.
