Kansas standout Darryn Peterson announced Friday that he's declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft after leading the Jayhawks in scoring as a freshman.
"This has been my lifelong dream, and I am excited for the future," he said.
Peterson averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while shooting 38.2% from deep on 6.9 attempts per game. After helping Bill Self's squad return to the NCAA Tournament, he dropped a team-high 28 points in his March Madness debut against California Baptist. Though Kansas' tournament run ended in the second round against Rick Pitino's St. John's, Peterson put up 21 points with four rebounds and four blocks in a 67-65 loss.
Peterson, however, appeared in just 24 of the Jayhawks' 35 games due to injuries. That includes cramping issues that began afflicting the 6-foot-5 guard after Kansas' preseason boot camp in September, he told The Kansas City Star's Shreyas Laddha in March. Peterson said he had to be hospitalized in order to treat the cramping with intravenous fluids.
"I had like a full-body (cramp), super serious," he said. "You could say it was traumatic. I would say it was a traumatic experience."
Peterson is one of three players who could realistically be drafted first overall, joining BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Duke star Cameron Boozer. Boozer has yet to officially declare for the event but is likely to do so by Friday's early-entry deadline at 11:59 p.m ET.
