The Washington Wizards landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Sunday, their first time in the pole position since 2010. By Monday, Stephen A. Smith had already turned that rare break into a broadside, after being asked about AJ Dybantsa on First Take.
Smith said he “felt sorry for him,” then delivered a blunt assessment of Washington’s recent stretch. “The Washington Wizards have lost at least 64 games over the last three years,” he said. “They are a basketball abomination.”
The No. 1 pick gave Washington a rare lift after a difficult 82-game season, and the draft lottery offered the kind of optimism the franchise has been chasing for years. It was the Wizards’ first chance at the top selection since 2010, a reminder of how long they have waited for a real swing at a franchise-changing player.
Smith, though, made clear he was in no mood to celebrate the lottery result. “The only reason we don’t take time to insult them more is because of the stench emanating out of the nation’s capital for stuff other than basketball,” he said, before adding, “They are horrible.” The contrast was stark: Washington finally won some good fortune, and one of the league’s loudest voices responded by questioning whether it could mean anything at all.
For the Wizards, the pick is the kind of opening that can change the conversation almost overnight. For now, though, the conversation belongs to a franchise that has spent three years losing at least 64 games and to a critic who sees the lottery as less a triumph than a fresh chance for Washington to prove him wrong.
