Top NBA prospects AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson took a break from their collegiate battles to return to their roots, appearing at the Chipotle Nationals in Indiana.
SportsCenter NEXT’s X handle shared a video from this competition featuring Peterson and Dybantsa, who can be seen gracing the stage as they reminisce about their high school days. While Dybantsa and Peterson were the main attractions off the court, the action on it saw Montverde Academy and DME Academy crowned as the boys’ and girls’ champions, respectively, in a tournament the two prospects once dominated.
Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa pulled up to #ChipotleNationals
pic.twitter.com/6lSKfQI3p0
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) April 4, 2026
This appearance comes just a few weeks after Dybantsa and Peterson concluded their freshman collegiate seasons for their respective teams at the March Madness. Peterson’s team was eliminated from the tournament by St. John’s, while Dybantsa’s BYU Cougars lost to Texas Longhorns in the first round.
AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson have been through it all. Undoubtedly, two of the most promising young talents of their generation, Dybantsa and Peterson, tipped off their careers while forming a high school rivalry. Dybantsa, playing for Prolific Prep, faced Peterson and Utah Prep multiple times during this high school stretch.
They have had multiple matchups between them, with Peterson firmly dominating the contests with several 50+ point games in this rivalry. Subsequently, this rivalry intensified as they both transitioned to their collegiate careers at BYU and Kansas. Being in the same conference again, two of them had a matchup in their only collegiate year. Peterson and Kansas won that game 82-90 after the former scored 18 points against Dybantsa, who chipped in with 17.
Yet despite this firmly highlighted rivalry between these two players, they haven’t had any bitter moments that instilled a sense of hatred between them. In fact, the BYU Cougars star clarified his stance in an interview last month, saying they aren’t even bitter rivals.
“I said it three times, I might not go to the league, so y’all can stop saying competing for the number one overall pick for the 2026 NBA Draft. But I don’t know if I would call it a rivalry,” Dybantsa said. “People are just going to make it what it is because we’re two good players, but I’ve been playing against him since I was on the U16 USA team. Great player.”
Clouds of uncertainty still loom high over AJ Dybantsa’s move to the NBA right after his freshman season with BYU. Be it this season or next, it’s for sure that Dybantsa will set foot into the league, and we’ll get another chapter of this rivalry in the NBA. As things stand now, Darryn Peterson is currently the No.1 top prospect for the league, while Dybantsa trails back at No. 2.
AJ Dybantsa Names One Special Person Who Will Decide the Fate of His NBA Endeavors
Transitioning from college basketball to the pro circuit is never easy. It’s a decision that requires careful thought and timing, as it can define a player’s entire professional trajectory. And for the No. 2 draft prospect, he is leaning towards his mother, Chelsea, to decide for him in this regard.
Speaking in a recent interview, the BYU Cougars star reiterated that he hasn’t made his decision on the NBA yet and is just waiting for a conversation with his mother. For context, it is Dybantsa’s mother, Chelsea, who has been a major backbone behind his career and makes most of his decisions in consultation with his mother.
“I haven’t talked to my mom. She has pretty much been making a lot of my decisions in life for me,” Dybantsa said. “I know she wants me to graduate college, so I don’t know if she is basing it on, ‘Yeah, you’re going to stay in school to graduate or if she just wants me to go accomplish my dreams. Who knows?”
For now, we’ll have to play the waiting game on any confirmed news around Dybantsa’s decision to enter the NBA draft. But in practice, it’s too big a decision for Dybantsa to delay. Given the opportunities he has on his hands through the draft and to set foot in the league that millions want to enter might be a dream.
As per ESPN draft projections, Dybantsa will go to the Washington Wizards. But eventually, the decision regarding the teams will come down to Dybantsa’s profile and the top lottery picks that the teams get.
While Peterson appears locked in as the top pick, Dybantsa’s decision, heavily influenced by his mother, could ultimately reshape the top of the 2026 NBA draft board.
