Kansas basketball star Darryn Peterson entered Tuesday visualizing facing Victor Wembanyama. That came before landing at No. 2 to the Utah Jazz during the 2026 NBA Draft. But now he’s officially an NBA player, and had his father to thank.
Peterson sat with his parents after putting on the Jazz hat and shaking hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Then the impact Jayhawks freshman from last year couldn’t help but give his roses to his father. Turns out even his father knew Peterson would be a top five draft pick, let alone the No. 2.
“I didn’t, but my pops always knew, and once I got older I started believing as well,” Peterson told ESPN’s Lisa Salters.
“I didn’t, but my pops always knew, and once I got older I started believing as well.”
Darryn Peterson on if he ever thought his career would lead to becoming the No. 2 pick
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Peterson entered Tuesday overhearing the No. 2 projection. Even NBA insider for ClutchPoints Brett Siegel revealed some pre-draft intel that pointed to Utah finalizing Peterson as its selection.
“After canceling his workout with the Utah Jazz, Peterson told reporters at the NBA Draft media day on Monday that he met with Jazz officials over the weekend. It seems pretty clear at this point that Peterson knows he’s going to be the second pick, which will put him in a very favorable position with the Jazz team ready to emerge as the next youthful threats in the Western Conference,” Siegel wrote.
So Peterson rises as the 38th ever first rounder out of Kansas. However, he’s the first-ever No. 2 overall selection in school history. KU previously produced Danny Manning (1988) and Andrew Wiggins (2014) as the top overall picks out of their draft classes.
The post Darryn Peterson’s powerful message on dad’s role in NBA journey appeared first on ClutchPoints.
