Who Are AJ Dybantsa’s Parents? Meet The Couple Behind The Washington Wizards’ No. 1 Pick

AJ Dybantsa posing in his Wizards jersey.© Instagram/ @aj.dybantsa

AJ Dybantsa finished his NBA debut with 19 points for the Wizards, but his story started long before the Cleveland lights, in a strict, loving home in Brockton, Massachusetts. His parents, Anicet “Ace” Dybantsa Sr. and Chelsea Dybantsa, came from two different countries and built one tight family. One of them even left a police career to run his son's career. Here is a look at the two people behind the No. 1 pick.

Ace and Chelsea, two countries and one family

AJ was born on Jan. 29, 2007, and is the middle child, with an older sister, Samarra, and a younger sister, Jasmyn. His full name is Anicet Dybantsa Jr., and “AJ” comes from being named after his dad.

Ace was born in the Republic of the Congo. At 13, his father sent him to France to live with his brothers and get a better education. He reached Boston by 1999, played soccer at Massasoit Community College, and later worked as a campus police officer at Boston University. In 2024, he retired to manage AJ full time. “I am his dad. I am his manager. I am his security. I am his disciplinarian. I am everything,” he has said.

Chelsea was born in Jamaica and raised by her grandmother, then moved to the Boston area at 13. She earned a social work degree at Salem State. The two met in a parking lot outside her gym, when Ace walked up and asked if she needed help. Ace calls the family's Congolese and Jamaican mix “Jafrican.”

Discipline, school and a promise

The rules at home were firm. Ace made all three kids do push-ups every day, and he set up a camera so nobody could cheat. He also taught his daughters self-defense. Ace says he is not his son's friend, and AJ says his dad tells him the truth without sugarcoating anything.

Chelsea kept school at the center. “Education means a lot to me,” she has said, and she only agreed to let AJ leave BYU after one season because he promised to finish his degree. Both parents plan to move with him, and Ace joked they just need an in-law apartment so AJ has privacy.

The support shows. Samarra graduated from UMass Boston, and Jasmyn is a top volleyball prospect in Utah. AJ led the nation with 25.5 points a game at BYU, and his parents were in Cleveland for his debut.