HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: MAR 28 McDonald's All American Boys Portraits - Source: Getty

PHOTO: BYU signee AJ Dybantsa flexes his custom Nike KD 18 kicks he's sporting at the McDonald's All-American games

Modified Apr 01, 2025 17:50 GMT

AJ Dybantsa was busy on Monday, participating in scrimmages, talking with the media, and other activities relating to the McDonald's All-American Game scheduled for Tuesday. His highlight wasthe Dunk Contest, where he jumped over Chicago Sky star Angel Reese, who stands at 6-foot-3. He did this by wearing some Nike kicks.

The No. 1-ranked five-star prospect from the class of 2025 was showing off his new "Air Bakin" Nike KD 18s, which came in McDonald's colors — red, yellow and black. The pair also featured Dybantsa's logo on the tongue of the right shoe, while the other featured Kevin Durant's logo. Dybantsa gave a close-up look on his Instagram story.

AJ Dybantsa showing off new "Air Bakin" Nike KD 18s during the McDonald's All-American dunk contest (Source: Instagram/@aj.dybantsa)

Dybantsa is expected to wear these shoes again on Tuesday for the McDonald's All-American Game in New York City. He will be part of the West team, along with Darryn Peterson, Alijah Arenas, Brayden Burries and more. The boys' game is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. and will be aired via ESPN.

As for the dunk contest itself, Dybantsa failed to win it all after repeatedly failing his attempts during his second dunk. He did impress many with his first dunk, the one over Reese, but the contest ultimately went to Baylor commit Tounde Yessoufou, who received a perfect 10 from Reese for one of his windmill dunks.

AJ Dybantsa is now focusing on college career at BYU

AJ Dybantsa still has a few high school-level games with him, as he has yet to play the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic on April 28. However, the Utah Prep star has already begun turning his focus from high school basketball to the collegiate level, with him inevitably going to Provo, Utah, playing for Kevin Young's BYU.

Following BYU's March Madness exit against Alabama in the Elite Eight, several questions have been raised about some of its players possibly leaving. These include Kanon Catchings and Elijah Crawford, who have both reportedly entered the transfer portal, and Egor Demin and Richie Saunders, who may be entering the NBA draft.

For now, Dybantsa is already looking forward to playing for Young next year. He praises his coach for his NBA experience in coaching the likes of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

About the author

Rotsen Rick Tidoy is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with 11 years of experience in the field with companies such as SGCafe, So Japan and AFA Channel.

Rotsen is a Boston Celtics fan and was drawn to them due to their animosity to the eternally popular LA Lakers. As a Celtics fan, his favorite players are Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as they combine for unselfish team play and raw talent.

As for the coaching side of the sports, Rotsen holds Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski, above the rest due to his tactical excellence and success.

When not working or watching basketball, Rotsen likes watching anime, playing tabletop games and Tae Kwon Do, in which he has a Black Belt (3rd Dan).

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