Darius Acuff Jr.

Darius Acuff Jr.
Acuff in 2025
No. 5 – Sacramento Kings
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2006-11-16) November 16, 2006 (age 19)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight
190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeArkansas (2025–2026)
2026: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Drafted bySacramento Kings
Playing career
2026–present
Career history
2026–presentSacramento Kings
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup
Gold medal – first place2024 Buenos AiresTeam

Darius Eugene Acuff Jr. (born November 16, 2006) is an American basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2025 class.

Early life and high school career

Acuff was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. His father, Darius Acuff Sr., played for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels men's basketball team.

Acuff first attended Cass Technical High School. As a freshman, he was a 2022 Associated Press (AP) all-state honorable mention. As a sophomore, he averaged 21.4 points and 5.7 assists per game, leading Cass Tech to a state championship. In 2023, he earned AP first-team all-state recognition and was the first sophomore to ever be named Mr. PSL for his play in the Detroit Public School League. Acuff transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida after his sophomore year.

Recruiting

Acuff was a consensus five-star recruit in the 2025 class, according to major recruiting boards. On July 26, 2024, he committed to play college basketball for John Calipari and Arkansas, choosing from a final list that also included Kansas and Michigan.

College recruiting
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Darius Acuff Jr.
PG		 Detroit, MI IMG Academy (FL) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 26, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 5/5 stars   247Sports: 5/5 stars   On3: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 5/5 stars   (95)
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 13    247Sports: 5    On3: 21    ESPN: 7
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Arkansas 2025 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  • "2025 Arkansas Razorbacks Recruiting Class". ESPN. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved February 21, 2026.

College career

As a freshman with the Arkansas Razorbacks, Acuff led Arkansas to a 28–9 overall record, a second-place regular-season finish in the SEC, and a 2026 SEC men's basketball tournament championship. Averaging 23.0 points per game and 6.6 assists per game, both marks that led the SEC, Acuff earned numerous conference and national awards. Acuff was named SEC Player of the Year, SEC Rookie of the Year, SEC Tournament MVP and an AP All-American 1st team selection. In the 2026 NCAA tournament, he led the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16 with victories over Hawaii and High Point. On April 5, 2026, Acuff won the Bob Cousy Award, which is given to the best point guard in the nation, becoming the first Arkansas player to win the award, and the first freshman. Acuff was also a finalist for the Naismith Award. On April 22, 2026, Acuff announced he would be entering the 2026 NBA draft.

Professional career

On June 23, 2026, Acuff was selected with the seventh overall pick by the Sacramento Kings in the 2026 NBA draft.

On October 21, Acuff made his NBA regular season debut, putting up 12 points in a 121–96 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. On October 23, Acuff put up a then career-high 33 points in a 128–120 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. On October 29, Acuff put up a then career-high 34 points and a career-high 14 assists, in a 132–120 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. On October 31, Acuff put up a career-high 38 points with a career-high nine three-pointers made in a 136–105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The nine made three-pointers also set the record for the most made three-pointers in a game by a teenager in the NBA. He also became the youngest player in Kings franchise history to record consecutive 30-point games at 19 years and 349 days old, surpassing the previous record set by Oscar Robertson at 21 years and 357 days old.

National team career

Acuff played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup. He averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and four assists per game and was named the tournament MVP as the United States won the gold medal.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2025–26 Arkansas 363635.1.484.440.8093.16.4.8.323.5


References

  1. ↑ Manoj, Kenneth (January 17, 2025). "IMG Academy's Darius Acuff on his relationship with Arkansas' John Calipari". MassLive. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  2. ↑ Hutchinson, Andrew; Demirel, Evin (March 3, 2026). ""Overrated" Darius Acuff More Than Up to The Task Now Facing Roughed-Up Razorbacks". Best of Arkansas Sports. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Detroit Cass Tech's Darius Acuff sprouted out of pandemic to become PSL's best player". Detroit Free Press. February 10, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  4. ↑ Broderick, Bill (April 8, 2022). "Which locals were named to Division 1 All-State boys basketball team?". Battle Creek Enquirer. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  5. ↑ Williams, Mason (May 16, 2023). "Indiana offers fast-rising '25 point guard Darius Acuff Jr". Rivals. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  6. ↑ Purcell, Jared (April 6, 2023). "Meet the 2023 Michigan Associated Press Division 1 boys basketball all-state team". MLive.com. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  7. ↑ Kahn, Andrew (July 24, 2024). "Top point guard in 2025 class considering Michigan, set to announce choice". MLive.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  8. ↑ Cassidy, Rob (July 2, 2024). "Ranking the Contenders: Five-star point guard Darius Acuff Jr". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ Roberts, Ben (July 26, 2024). "The first five-star basketball recruit for 2025 is off the board. He picked John Calipari". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  10. ↑ Borzello, Jeff and Biancardi, Paul (July 26, 2024). "Top-10 recruit Darius Acuff commits to John Calipari and Arkansas". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  11. ↑ Bass, Tobias (July 26, 2024). "Arkansas lands 5-star recruit Darius Acuff Jr.: What this means for Razorbacks". The Athletic. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via The New York Times.
  12. ↑ https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/arkansas/men/2026.html
  13. ↑ https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/darius-acuff-jr-1.html
  14. ↑ Medcalf, Myron (April 22, 2026). "Projected lottery pick Darius Acuff Jr. declares for NBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Sacramento Kings Select Darius Acuff Jr". NBA.com. June 23, 2026. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  16. ↑ Mariano, Paolo (October 22, 2026). "Darius Acuff Jr.'s Kings debut was way too KANGZ". ClutchPoints. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
  17. ↑ Martin, Angelina (October 22, 2026). "Darius Acuff Jr. struggles in NBA debut as Kings lose in blowout vs. Clippers". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 22, 2026.
  18. ↑ Zimmerle, Will (October 24, 2026). "What We Learned From Kings' Exhilarating Loss to Trail Blazers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 24, 2026.
  19. ↑ Villas, Rexwell (October 29, 2026). "Kings' Darius Acuff Jr. joins LeBron James in rare NBA club with fiery stats vs. Pelicans". ClutchPoints. Retrieved October 29, 2026.
  20. ↑ "ACUFF DROPS 34 POINTS, 14 ASSISTS IN LOSS". NBC Sports. October 29, 2026. Retrieved October 29, 2026.
  21. ↑ Baer, Jack. "Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. becomes NBA's first teenager to make 9 3-pointers in a game". Retrieved November 2, 2026.
  22. ↑ Bhatnagar, Rishabh (October 31, 2026). "Kings' Darius Acuff Jr. ties NBA rookie record with monster shooting game vs. Grizzlies". ClutchPoints. Retrieved October 31, 2026.
  23. ↑ "DARIUS ACUFF JR. SCORES CAREER-HIGH 38 POINTS". NBC Sports. October 31, 2026. Retrieved October 31, 2026.
  24. ↑ Andershock, Trevor (May 28, 2024). "Indiana basketball: 2025 recruiting targets make USA Basketball U18 team for 2024 FIBA AmeriCup". 247Sports. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  25. ↑ Bedore, Gary (July 1, 2024). "Kansas makes top 4 for 5-star 2025 point guard Darius Acuff". Kansas City Star. Retrieved October 8, 2024.