NEED TO KNOW

• AJ Dybantsa will sit out the home opener against the Milwaukee Bucks

• The No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft has a mild ankle sprain

• Dybantsa, 19, was drafted by the Washington Wizards in June

Fans will have to wait a little bit longer for AJ Dybantsa’s debut.

The No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft has a mild ankle sprain and will not play in the season opener at home on Wednesday, Oct. 21, against the Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said on Tuesday, per ESPN.

Dybantsa, 19, injured his left ankle after landing awkwardly on it during the team’s final preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, Oct. 16. 

The rookie limped to the locker room and was done for the night after scoring 12 points in 15 minutes. 

Keefe said the former BYU standout is day-to-day, which means he could possibly play on Friday, Oct. 23, against the Toronto Raptors.

For Dybantsa, playing in the NBA is part of a long-held dream, which began during his (relative) childhood in Boston.

Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter — sign up now!

“Obviously, just countless hours in the gym, so much pain, blood, sweat and tears, and to hear my name get called tonight would be just a blessing,” he told PEOPLE, moments before he edged out Kansas standout Darryn Peterson and went No. 1.

The dapper Dybantsa said it was also important to dress for the occasion, aiming to represent his family— his father, Ace, was born in the Republic of Congo before moving to France, and his mother, Chelsea, is from Jamaica — as well as his late mentor and friend, “TC5,” referring to Terrence Clarke, who tragically died in a car accident in 2021 just three months before the NBA Draft.

 “I’m international. My mom’s from Jamaica and my dad’s from Congo, so we have people from all over,” he said after he was drafted by the Wizards. “But in the greenroom today, it’s just my parents, my sisters and my godparents.”

Read the original article on People