Kevin Garnett has the ultimate advice for AJ Dybantsa

NBA legend Kevin Garnett shared a courtside moment with a BYU freshman, AJ Dybantsa, during the 2025 NBA Summer League. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics icon sat next to the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025, sharing knowledge as Dybantsa starts his college career. 

A video showed the moment in which Garnett told Dybantsa that he shouldn’t run away from the grind and put in the work to improve his game. 

“These kids come in like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to get in.’ Nah, you need to come in and get better, bro. You know what I’m saying?,” he told Dybantsa. “You’re going to leave here and go play somewhere else, right? Okay then, the competition is right here; let’s get it.”

AJ Dybantsa compared to Kevin Garnett

Dybantsa is fresh off a gold medal win in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup. He’ll now join the Cougars to try to win the national championship before he most likely becomes the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. 

AJ Dybantsa #3 of Prolific Prep of Napa Christian poses for a portrait after their game against Accelerated Prep at Napa Valley College on February 25, 2024.

Many would say there wasn’t a better player to pass on knowledge to AJ Dybantsa than Kevin Garnett, a legend that the BYU freshman has been compared to in recent times. College basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla explained the similarities between the two players.

“I’ll try to create a visual for BYUMBB fans for what to expect from AJ Dybantsa after watching him all week at @usabjnt Under 19 practices,” Fraschilla shared. “Best description is that if Kevin Garnett came back as a small forward with his intensity, athleticism & his team-first style, that’s who the Cougars have.”

Dybantsa set high expectations for his team this season and KG’s advice may well help him achieve those goals.