AJ Dybantsa ‘Could Pull an Eli Manning' if Kings Land No. 1 Pick

The Sacramento Kings don’t want the No. 1 pick on Sunday when the NBA Draft Lottery occurs.

The Sacramento Kings need the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft.

After nearly three decades of rebuilds and reloads and failed signings, the Kings sit where they’ve been for a majority of the 21st century: irrelevant, only noticeable when things go awry.

While they had a season of lighting a beam and having fun, that optimism has all been wiped away with bad trades and poor decision-making.

The Kings had a young Tyrese Haliburton who was pumped to actually play in Sacramento, and they traded him. They could have had Luka Dončić, but took Marvin Bagley instead. De’Aaron Fox was supposed to be the chosen one before that fell apart.

BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is currently the consensus top pick heading into the summer’s draft, and the elite scorer would instantly become the best prospect the Kings have ever had in their headquarters.

A pure gunner, Dybansta could transform a dull, stagnant situation in Sacramento into instant excitement.

One problem.

What if Dybansta doesn’t want to go to Sacramento?

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Yahoo Sports insider Tom Haberstroh believes that if the Kings win the lottery on Sunday, Dybansta will pull an “Eli Manning” by telling Sacramento he won’t play for them.

Over 20 years ago, the heir to the Manning line was in place to be the No. 1 pick for the San Diego Chargers, but his family squashed the idea of Eli ever playing for the dysfunctional California franchise. In the end, the Chargers and New York Giants reached an agreement, sending Manning to a city where he won two Super Bowls.

If Dybansta doesn’t want to play for the Kings, it’d be far less dramatic than Manning, as fellow freshman Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer are considered franchise-defining prospects as well.

In the world where Sacramento does win the NBA Draft Lottery, though, they’d better hope that Peterson and Boozer also remember what Manning did to the Chargers before they were even born.

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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 7:03 PM.