AJ Dybantsa isn’t wasting time with small goals as he begins his first season with the Washington Wizards. The rookie already has his sights set far beyond an All-Star nod or even All-NBA recognition. His target is the NBA 100th Anniversary Team.
That kind of ambition makes sense for a player who says he wants to stand in the same company as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Dybantsa knows those conversations are reserved for the game’s true legends, the names that stay at the center of basketball history for decades. For him, that’s the bar.
He explained the thinking behind the goal in comments to David Aldridge of The Athletic.
"I was like, ‘I want to be a Hall of Famer. If I have a Hall of Fame speech, my career is set.
I did all I needed to do. He was like, why not go bigger?
I’m like, what is bigger than the Hall of Fame? He’s like, he had the same goal when he was playing basketball until the 75th anniversary, and he was called up with all those guys, Michael Jordan.
He was like, that was the (new) goal. So he told me, I don’t know what it is, it’s like 19 years from now.
It’ll be the 100th anniversary. So he’s like, ‘When they call the 100, you need to be in that top 100,' the Wizards rookie declared.
The road there will not be simple, especially in Washington’s current setup. Dybantsa will be sharing scoring work with Kyshawn George, while Trae Young is expected to handle the ball and run the playmaking.
On the defensive end, Anthony Davis appears to be the player the Wizards will build around. That leaves the rookie in a supporting role in several areas, but not one that seems to bother him.
Through three NBA preseason games, Dybantsa has flashed plenty to like under coach Brian Keefe. The shooting numbers have been uneven - 12.5% from three-point range and 58.8% from the free-throw line, plus a turnover per game - but the broader picture has been encouraging. He has averaged 13 points on 42.4% shooting and added 2.3 assists.
He has also made his presence felt defensively. In 23.9 minutes per game over those three outings, Dybantsa has averaged 4.3 rebounds, two steals, and 0.3 blocks.
The 100th Anniversary Team is a huge reach for any player, let alone a rookie just getting started. But Dybantsa is clearly aiming high, and the names he grew up admiring are the same standard he wants to meet by the time that next landmark comes around in 2046.
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