Many expect AJ Dybantsa to be the No.1 overall pick of next week's 2026 NBA Draft. With days to go before Draft Night, Dybantsa is sticking to his guns about not hiring an agent. Instead, his father, Ace, will be his "manager" or "handler," though he refuses those titles, preferring to be called AJ's dad.
According to Ace, more than 22 agents have approached them to offer their services to represent AJ since he declared for the draft. They tried everything, offering them dinners, first-class flights, hotel accommodations, and private workouts with their other NBA talents. But none of those is what Ace wants for his son.
"I'm just doing what I believe is best for my son," Ace said in an interview with Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. "You know how much AJ is going to make. Everyone and their mother knows how much AJ is going to make. Whoever doesn't know, all they have to do is Google it. AJ is going to get a max rookie deal. You know that, I know that, so why should I hire an agent to tell me what I already know?"
If AJ is the No.1 overall pick, he is expected to sign a four-year $52 million rookie contract as the top draftee, based on the 2025-26 NBA rookie scale. If he slides to No.2, the amount goes down a little to $46.6 million, and so on. The point is, anyone can compute an estimate, using — as Ace said, Google.
So, he's right. Why does he need an agent to negotiate with a team when he already knows the numbers?
Besides, agents take 4 percent of their player's contract value and 10 to 20 percent of their player's endorsement income as payment for their services. Why pay that amount to somebody else when you can keep it in the family? The elder Dybantsa added that if his son were fighting for a higher pay, he might have hired an agent to negotiate a better deal.
"If he was number 30 in his class, maybe I need an agent," Ace told Dougherty in another interview. "He is number one. I don't need an agent. They are still calling me. Sometimes I don't answer."
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Many have criticized Ace for his decision, including one agent who compared it to a kid getting his teeth cleaned by his father instead of a dentist. Dougherty also said that some agents revealed AJ's dad wanted them to take half of the 4 percent commission if they wanted to represent him, although Ace denied talking numbers with any agent.
However, during an interview with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on the "All the Smoke" podcast earlier this month, the elder Dybantsa said it's not about money.
"It's not that hard," he said of being his son's manager/agent. "People think it's hard. It's not that hard. I tell all the parents, he's not my friend. He's my son. I told him, I don't need your ass. He needs me more than I need him. I told him, you can cut me tomorrow. I'm going to be fine."
Agents work for players and they would do anything to keep their jobs. A father is different because he cares about the welfare of his son and puts his son's best interests above everything else.
"I've been working for 37 years. I'm going to be fine," he continued. "But he understands. I tell him what he doesn't want to hear. I told him, 'You don't want to hire yes men around you. People are going to kiss your a— and bring nothing to the table.'"
"I will always help. Stay close to your boy. I'm not saying don't get an agent, because agents are going to come after me for saying that. No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying, stay close to your son. That's all," he concluded.
AJ is only 19, and many people, not his family, could take advantage of him. His dad won't, and he is the only manager who has the guts to scold AJ if he does something wrong. From that perspective, Ace has a point.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
