The Jazz’s newest star reveals the sacrifices behind his meteoric rise, from leaving home as a teenager to chasing the dream of becoming the NBA’s next face.
Utah Jazz guard Darryn Peterson appears on the cover of SLAM 263, and in the accompanying interview, the No. 2 pick provided an inside look at the upbringing, motivation and confidence that shaped his rise to the NBA.
Peterson began by explaining how early the game took hold in his life.
“Basketball has been all I know my whole life,” he said. “I’ve been around it my whole life. My dad was a coach. My older brother played. My whole family played. It was kind of all I knew.”
He said the shift from simply playing the sport to actively pursuing it came early.
“I really started to like chase it and really want something by like six, seven.”
By the time he reached eighth grade, he understood the scale of what he wanted.
“Eighth grade going into high school is when I started to like really get serious about it and wanted to be the face of the league.”
Peterson also discusses the personal cost of chasing that ambition. After his sophomore year of high school, he left home to continue his development.
“I left my little brother and sister after my sophomore year of high school,” he says. “I’ve been gone for three years now.”
He remembered that moment clearly.
“When I left the crib, I remember telling my little brother, like I’m going to go get it done.”
He credits his family as the foundation behind his drive, but he also describes himself as internally motivated.
“They’re definitely my why,” he said. “I’m just self‑motivated. I want to challenge myself every day because that’s me every day.”
The interview closed with a line that reflects the confidence that has followed him throughout his rise from high‑school standout to Kansas to now the NBA and Salt Lake City.
Asked if he had anything else to say, Peterson ended the interview with a bold claim that is sure to get Jazz fans even more excited than they already are.
“Ain’t nobody guarding me that’s watching. We out.”
For the Jazz, who drafted Peterson to be a franchise offensive catalyst at the point alongside Keyonte George, the interview reinforced why they believe in him. That belief seems to follow the former Jayhawk everywhere he’s gone. SLAM’s decision to feature Peterson on the cover underscores his growing national profile, and paired with his historic shoe deal with Adidas, it’s clear to see why Utah pulled the trigger and made him the face of a new era.
