AJ Dybantsa left bloodied after brutal collision with Cade Cunningham

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

AJ Dybantsa left bloodied after brutal collision with Cade Cunningham

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Nov 12, 2026 10:56 PM ET

Washington Wizards rookie AJ Dybantsa was left bleeding from the mouth late in Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.

The Wizards led 118-117 with less than 30 seconds left when Dybantsa double-teamed Cade Cunningham. The Pistons star inadvertently headbutted the Wizards youngster as he tried to spin away from the initial defender.

Dybantsa took the brunt of the contact in the mouth. Blood started to stream out of his mouth as he lay on the hardwood. It was quite a frightful sight for the home fans.

AJ Dybantsa got hit in the mouth by Cade and is bleeding from the mouth https://t.co/pli8VnbAtk
— WizardsMuse (@WizardsMuse1) November 13, 2026

To add insult to injury, Dybantsa was the one called for a defensive foul. Washington challenged the call, but the referees ultimately confirmed that the 2026 No. 1 overall pick committed illegal contact on the play.

AJ Dybantsa was bleeding after being accidentally headbutted by Cade Cunningham https://t.co/ExkdIPg2lM
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 13, 2026

Dybantsa showed his toughness by walking off the issue and getting himself cleaned up on the bench. He stayed in the game and even hit the game-tying shot to force double-overtime.

AJ DYBANTSA SENDS IT TO DOUBLE OVERTIME NO WAY. https://t.co/dvDiY1b8LI
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 13, 2026

Clutch shot aside, Dybantsa had a rough night. He finished with just 5 points on 2/10 shooting in a 144-140 loss. Most of his misses came before he got his noggin rocked by a Cunningham headbutt.

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