Welcome to the life of a professional athlete, Darryn Peterson.
The No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft is off to a great start in his pro career, but immediately before that? Not so much.
In an interview earlier this month with ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike, Peterson shared his unfortunate wake-up call leading up to the draft.
“Crazy story: my whip, during the pre-draft, got [stolen] out of the driveway at the Airbnb I was staying at,” Peterson revealed when asked what he purchased with his first pro paycheck. “After it got took, I was like, ’I’m about to just get something else.’”
His new ride? A custom matte black Range Rover. And yes, he’s learned to keep it in the garage.
The Jazz rookie erupted onto the pro scene with 28 points in his NBA Summer League debut. Over five games, he averaged 23 points — good enough for sixth best on the summer circuit — with 3.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.
He’ll get his first shot on an NBA court in the Jazz’s preseason opener on Oct. 4 against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Utah opens the regular season on Oct. 21 at Memphis.
Peterson was in the mix for the top pick and ultimately fell to Utah after the Wizards took AJ Dybantsa No. 1 overall.
A standout at Kansas, Peterson averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in his sole season with the Jayhawks. He spent much of his college tenure battling cramps — and criticism of his lack of availability — something he attributes to high doses of the supplement creatine.
