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Brockton native AJ Dybantsa reflects on Celtics, family ahead of homecoming at TD Garden
"I played at TD I think three or four years ago when I was at St. Sebastian. So I’m undefeated there."
AJ Dybantsa is no stranger to stepping onto the parquet floor at TD Garden.
The Brockton native had played on the Celtics’ home court during his high-school days at St. Sebastian’s.
And as a projected top-3 pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, the 6-foot-8 wing will be back on Causeway Street next winter as one of the top young stars in the NBA.
But for now, the 18-year-old Dybantsa is primarily playing out West on a talented BYU team — where he has already jumped out to a strong start (18.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists per game) through just three matchups.
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Given his current collegiate spot, it should come as little surprise that Dybantsa is looking forward to Saturday night — as both he and the No. 7 Cougars will take on No. 3 UConn at TD Garden as part of the annual Hall of Fame Series.
“It should be fun,” Dybantsa said on Wednesday. “I played at TD I think three or four years ago when I was at St. Sebastian. So I’m undefeated there. I’m just looking forward to playing in front of people who haven’t seen me play in a long time due to me being on the West Coast.”
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Dybantsa — who acknowledged that there are “too many people” to count in terms of how many family and friends will be in the building to watch him play — has routinely shouted out both his hometown of Brockton and the greater Boston area as he has raised his stock as one of the top basketball prospects in the world over the last few years.
Dybantsa, who threw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game in July and voiced his support for the Celtics at the start of the 2025-26 season, has been a lifelong fan of his hometown teams.
“I think my first NBA jersey ever was Kevin Garnett,” Dybantsa said. “I remember that team. I was born in ‘07. I think they won in ‘08. I just remember watching Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett. I remember Rajon Rondo. I remember Isaiah Thomas. And now guys like Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard.”
It remains to be seen if fortune could favor the shorthanded Celtics in the upcoming draft lottery — especially if it results in Boston landing a blue-chip talent like Dybantsa amid a season where the team is soldiering on without Jayson Tatum.
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But Dybantsa is not dwelling on his draft status or which team he could be playing for at this time next year.
For now, Dybansta is looking to find his footing and help improve a BYU team that will face several imposing opponents this season — starting with the Huskies on Saturday.
“I’m all about competition,” Dybansta said. “I never wanted to be one of those guys that was known for ducking smoke. So definitely, going into BYU and wanting to play highly-ranked, non-conference opponents was definitely like, one of the things for me — win or loss —is just going to get us better as a team and get us more prepared for March.”
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