AJ Dybantsa, Topps Agree to Historic Trading Card and Memorabilia Contract

Incoming BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa already made a major move before ever playing in a college basketball game.

On Wednesday, Topps announced that it signed Dybantsa to an exclusive trading card and memorabilia contract. The company called the deal "historic."

Per Larry Holder of The Athletic, the deal is part of a larger partnership between Dybantsa and Fanatics, which owns Topps. The company will replace Panini and assume the NBA licensing for trading cards in October. The deal will extend beyond Dybantsa's college career, marking one of Fanatics' "most significant NIL deals ever."

"Me and my family really just take time with these deals we get," Dybantsa told Holder when asked why he signed with Fanatics. "We don’t just go for any brand. It’s kind of more than just the brand itself. It’s kind of who’s running it, who’s behind it. We’re big family people, so how the brand is like a family connection, and we think we met those standards with Omar (Wilkes, head of athlete partnerships for Fanatics Collectibles) and Michael (Rubin, Fanatics CEO)."

Dybantsa was a 5-star prospect and the No. 1 overall player in the 2025 class, per 247Sports' composite. He chose to attend BYU over offers from Alabama, Kansas and UNC, among others.

Dybantsa recently helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup, earning MVP honors with averages of 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals in the tournament. He will be facing huge expectations when he takes the court for BYU, and Wednesday's deal will bring even more attention his way.