A lot has to happen for a player to become an NBA All-Star in one season, and even more to become an All-NBA selection. To be in the same conversations as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James, a player has to be top-notch for more than half a decade. AJ Dybantsa has his priorities straight as he enters his first year with the Washington Wizards. He wants to join that upper echelon of legendary stars and has a clear goal.
Wizards' Dybantsa aims to be part of NBA 100th Anniversary Team
For someone entering their first season, aiming to become an NBA All-Star or All-NBA selection is already lofty. For AJ Dybantsa, that goal comes with a lot of hurdles to overcome, maybe even more than other rookies. See, he has to share scoring duties with the likes of Kyshawn George. The rookie will also take a backseat in ball-handling and playmaking because Trae Young will lead the charge. On defense, Anthony Davis seems to be the one the Wizards will anchor their schemes around.
With that goal in mind, playing alongside stars with big chips on their shoulders could be hard. But Dybantsa does not seem to worry. He said his long-term career goal is to be on the NBA 100th Anniversary Team, regardless of where he plays or who his teammates are. The Wizards rookie outlined why this is such an important life milestone for him to reach, via 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.
Dybantsa seems off to a great start on that journey. Coach Brian Keefe and the Wizards played him for three NBA Preseason games, which showed a lot of promise. He struggled, going 12.5% from three-point range, 58.8% from the free-throw line, and committing a turnover per game. However, everything else looked polished. So far, he has averaged 13 points on 42.4% shooting while dropping 2.3 assists.
AJ Dybantsa in his second preseason game: 14 PTS, 7 REB, 1 STL, 4/10 FG https://t.co/o1kNflS0n8
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) October 11, 2026Defensively, the Wizards rookie is also doing well. In 23.9 minutes of average playing time throughout three outings, he grabs 4.3 rebounds, snatches two steals, and records 0.3 blocks.
Yes, the NBA 100th Anniversary Team is a lofty goal, but Dybantsa has all the ability to reach it. LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Larry Bird are all players that the Wizards rookie looked up to. Hopefully by 2046, he stands beside them as members of the same legendary top 100 players.
