All posts tagged: nba draft

AJ Dybantsa Says His ‘Rainbow Face’ Draft-Night Watch Was a No-Brainer

AJ Dybantsa Says His ‘Rainbow Face’ Draft-Night Watch Was a No-Brainer

Published by Jenni Sidey

At Tuesday’s NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa was selected first overall by the Washington Wizards—and nobody was less surprised than he was. “I mean, I’ve been number one my whole life,” the 19-year-old wing told me the day before, over a FaceTime call from the Hublot boutique in Lower Manhattan. “I don’t plan on dropping.” What he did plan on, however, was wearing an excellent watch on draft night. On Monday, Dybantsa flashed me his new Hublot Big Bang Unico Titanium Rainbow. Without the help of a stylist, or even a consultation with a group chat or trusted friend, the new Wizard selected this watch entirely on his own. “I knew I was going to wear this watch,” he said. “Nobody would convince me not to wear this watch.” Dybantsa was so sure this was the one that he didn’t try on a single other watch, despite having access to the brand’s entire store. This Rainbow Big Bang was laid out for him when he arrived. erickhercules Luxury watches are often used as markers of a …

NBA Draft Prospect AJ Dybantsa Already Knows He’s a Star

NBA Draft Prospect AJ Dybantsa Already Knows He’s a Star

Published by Jenni Sidey

Earlier that day, I first met up with Dybantsa in Santa Monica as a trainer put him through a morning circuit. As a Red Bull athlete, Dybantsa has all-inclusive access to the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center, a standalone building at the energy-drink company’s LA headquarters. The aspirational grooves of Rod Wave and 21 Savage’s “Turks & Caicos” rattled the speakers. The tricked-out gym boasts all the high-end amenities one might expect of a health-and-fitness palace funded by Red Bull, where snowboarders and cliff divers train alongside the potential first pick in the NBA Draft. There’s a biomechanics lab and a mental health performance center, an area where athletes can receive shockwave therapy, and a section where they can transition between an infrared sauna and a cold plunge. Immediately upon entering, visitors are greeted by a dark accent wall with “F*** THE LIMITS” painted on it in bold, defiant letters. I am told that the Peter Drucker quote, “What is measured, improves,” serves as a guiding principle for everything that happens here, which is why …