Darryn Peterson, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, has missed 11 of Kansas’ 27 games this season due to hamstring, ankle and cramp issues. And the noise around his availability has gotten loud enough to reach him. He doesn’t want to be part of the story he chooses.
“Everyone has an opinion about it,” Peterson told ESPN. “But basketball is my life. If I could have been in every game this year, I would have. If you asked me last year what my goals were for this year, I would never mention missing games. So all these things just happened, but I have to deal with them.”
Peterson’s absence reached a flashpoint when he benched himself in the second half of a win at Oklahoma State – his shortest appearance of the season at 18 minutes – prompting criticism in the national media, including ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith discouraging NBA teams from selecting him first overall.
Coach Bill Self clearly acknowledged the effort.
“It’s definitely a concern,” Self said. “When you play in the NCAA tournament, you’re playing against a team that’s as good as you are and you have to have all your best players.”
Despite the turbulence, Peterson rejected the suggestion that setbacks would derail him. Raised in Canton, Ohio, he described a childhood filled with grueling workouts — running stadium stairs and passing drills into trash cans — designed by his father.
“Let’s do it,” Peterson said when asked what he would tell Kansas fans concerned about his NCAA tournament availability. “That’s the goal.”
Only Kenyon Martin and Kyrie Irving have been drafted No. 1 after missing more than 10 college games.
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