Darius Acuff Jr. accepts ‘tough love’ from father, turns into top NBA draft prospect

CHICAGO – The 2026 NBA draft is expected to be highlighted by top-five prospects AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson. Years from now, though, Darius Acuff Jr. expects to be talked about first when the Class of 2026 is mentioned.

“Five years from now they will say I was the best player that was going to come out, for sure,” Acuff told Andscape on May 11 during the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago. “Some people are going to be surprised. But some people in the back of their minds are probably [going to be] saying, ‘We probably should have been saying this.’

Acuff said he doesn’t have an opinion on what people say.

“My mindset is that I’m gonna be the best player, for sure,” he said. “That’s just the way I’m carrying it throughout my whole career.”

Acuff averaged 23.5 points, 6.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game as a freshman at the University of Arkansas last season. He was the 2026 Bob Cousy Award winner as the nation’s best college point guard, and averaged 30.2 points in five postseason contests. A consensus first-team All-American, Acuff also swept Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors, and was SEC tournament MVP.

A longtime NBA scout told Andscape that he didn’t expect Acuff to get past the Kings in the draft.

Coincidentally, Darius Acuff Sr., played at Eastern Kentucky University for then-head coach Scott Perry, who is the Sacramento Kings’ general manager.

Like father, like son, both Acuffs share a stoic mentality and competitive fire on the court.

“That’s one of our family traits,” Acuff Sr. told Andscape. “If you have a chance to meet some of my family, we’re all the same. We don’t show emotions a lot, but we mean business. So, yeah, that’s kind of like a family trait.

“And on top of me [meaning business], just being on you about a lot of stuff — just letting him know, ‘Don’t let nobody see you sweat. Don’t let nobody speed you up. Don’t let nobody rattle you. Just keep the same face, the same mindset.’”

Andscape is celebrating Father’s Day on Sunday with a Q&A series including some of the 2026 NBA draft’s top prospects and their fathers. The first day of the draft is Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The fathers and sons who participated include the Acuffs; former Tennessee forward Nate Ament and his father, Albert Ament; former Duke center Cameron Boozer and his father, former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer; former Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. and his father, Christopher Brown; former Brigham Young forward AJ Dybantsa and his father, Anicet “Ace” Dybantsa Sr.; and former Houston guard Kingston Flemings and his father, Demetric “Dee” Flemings.

In this Q&A series, the fathers and soon-to-be-drafted sons discuss their relationship through basketball, life lessons, the perceptions of Black fatherhood, their excitement and anxiety toward the draft, what NBA teams are getting on and off the court, and much more.

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When do you remember putting on ball in [your son’s] hands for the first time?

Acuff Sr.: I probably put the ball in his hands when he was born, because it’s kind of like the makeup for our family. Everybody is going to play basketball. The first time I took him to the gym actually organized was probably like about 3 or 4 years old. …

I say it all the time: Me and my wife were blessed. It seemed like he came out the womb ready to go, obsessed with the game, for sure.

When do you first recall falling in love with basketball that your remember?

Acuff Jr.: Probably around middle school. When I started traveling, it got away from just seeing different cities on the AAU circuit. It got way more fun, for sure.

What kind of influence did being from a city in Detroit that is known for having great basketball players?

Acuff Jr.: It had a lot of influence. That is where it started in local tournaments. I was playing in tournaments all over Michigan and trying to win every tournament, competing with everybody. There was never no easy game. So just learning from Detroit. That’s a great feeling.

You have any memories of watching your father play?

Acuff Jr.: No. His tapes ain’t nowhere.

Acuff Sr.: They got rid of my tapes, man. It’s a few out there, though. But I don’t know what happened to them. The internet wasn’t popping in my day. I would hope we can find some of my Eastern Kentucky tapes.

What did you know about your father as a ballplayer?

Acuff Jr.: He nice. I heard he was cold. I heard he was similar to me with the same attributes. We both move the same. He had more hops than me, according to everybody. He was a guard dunker. He probably got me [athletically], based on what I’ve seen. He was smart, for sure. That’s what I heard from a lot of people. He was a smart player who always got his teammates involved. But he could score if they needed him to.

Was it tough love with your son in basketball?

Acuff Sr.: Always. It was me just introducing him to the game. I always told him, ‘If we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do it the right way. It’s not going to be any shortcuts or anything.’ So, I was always tough on him, for sure.

Did he always take to it?

Acuff Sr.: Always. Never went home and complained to his mom about anything. We had times in the gym going at it back and forth. But once we get in the car, it’s father and son again.

What made you accept the tough love?

Acuff Jr: He knew what he was talking about. Over the years, you could see my game progressing, working. And he was the one that took me through all this stuff, so I knew I had to listen to him. He was my coach at the same time, too. So, of course, there was a lot of tough moments. But he didn’t teach me to be soft. So, I wasn’t going home complaining or none of that. I would just go upstairs and think about what I can do better tomorrow.

If anything, I didn’t want to go somewhere else. I wanted to go to the gym. That was always the first choice.

Can you describe what it’s like to be a Black father?

Acuff Sr.: It’s everything. I didn’t have my dad growing up. Me and my brothers and sister didn’t have our dad. So, I just wanted to be everything for him. Just be there for him through the ups and downs. And it’s great that I can share this with other Black fathers and hopefully they can follow the path that we have paved the way for. So, it’s been a blessing. It’s great.

What do you think is the perception of Black fathers?

Acuff Sr.: There are a lot of different perceptions out there. We don’t really pay attention to those things. We know what we want as a family. We’re kind of like straightforward, so we kind of know what we want. We don’t really follow perceptions or anything like that.

You have a young Black son in Detroit. He can’t walk anywhere now without somebody recognizing him. What kind of things have you tried to instill in him to protect him?

Acuff Sr.: The main thing me and his mom instill in him is to just be a leader. Don’t be a follower. No matter if it’s your family members or friends in school. Always lead by example and be a stand-up guy.

The draft is two days after Father’s Day. When I say that to you, what comes to mind?

Acuff Sr.: That’s going to be the greatest Father’s Day gift ever. I’ve always just prayed and just hoped that he can stay healthy enough to live out his dreams. I’ve stayed healthy enough to see him exceed that. So, it’s great.

What does celebrating your dad on Father’s Day mean to you?

Acuff Jr.: Everything. That whole month [June] has been for us as a family. His birthday month, Father’s Day. My granddad, his birthday the day after his. My sister’s birthday is that month. So that whole month is going to be a great one for us as a family. And I’m just proud of us as a family. We stuck together through it all, for sure. We still got way more to go. But I definitely love them all for sticking with me.

What most excites you most about the NBA draft? And what brings you anxiety about that day?

Acuff Jr.: What excites me most? Just knowing that I can change my family’s life. I was telling them, just being the first to do something in the family to make the league, that’s probably my biggest mindset right now. Just putting on for them everyday. I’m excited to hear my name called. Our last name is legendary where we’re from. So just to hear it being on the stage, that would be a great feeling.

As far as anxiety, I don’t really think I got like anxiety. But I’m excited, for sure. We talk about it on a personal level. It gets crazy sometimes, but at the end of the day, it’s business. But when we’re by ourselves, a lot of emotions are probably going to come out, for sure. There is a lot of excitement about it. We talk about it everyday, for sure.

What do you think it will be like to step on that NBA draft stage?

Acuff Jr.: Crazy. He’ll tell you. I watched a recent draft — the whole draft just to see what you do, introductions, all that. I’m just trying to see what’s the movement you’re supposed to do. But it’s crazy. It’s gonna be a dream come true just to shake [NBA] commissioner [Adam Silver’s] hand. That’s everybody’s dream. Walking across [the stage], that’s something you dream of. Just to see it happen is definitely going to be a great feeling.

As you interview with teams and they ask, ‘What Darius are we getting on and off the court?’ what do you tell them?

Acuff Jr.: I tell them you’re two different people. On the court, I’m nobody’s friend. I’m only [friends] with my teammates and my coaches. Everybody else, I don’t really know. Just a killer, for sure. In all, I’m a winning player, though. I want to win a lot at the next level. That’s very important.

And off the court, just a great person. No matter who you are, I’ll help you out if you need something. You see somebody in the grocery store that can’t do something, you just help him out. I just want to be known as one of those guys, for sure.

When he gets drafted to an NBA team, wherever that is, what of your teachings do you think he’s going to take with him?

Acuff Sr.: His leadership. Him being a role model. We’re big on the youth in our city. So just him being a great role model to the kid that’s trying to accomplish the same thing he’s trying to or about to accomplish.

How much pride do you have in your last name and the ‘Junior’ in it?

Acuff Jr.: Our last name, if you ask anybody in Detroit, they probably know who you are talking about. And I ain’t even talking about me. It started way before me. It started way before him. Our family is just legendary. We stick together. We’ve been sticking together throughout. Since I’ve been born, of course. I can tell they always have been close as a family. We support each other no matter what.

That Junior, I take pride in it. I write it down everywhere. Sometimes when people put something out and it’s just my last name, I make them change it to Junior because I take pride in it. It’s my dad. He’s been with me every step of the way. I’m not going to let anyone disrespect our name. He’s a Senior. I’m a Junior.

When your son is in that NBA uniform with your last name on the back with ‘Acuff Jr.’ it represents you in two ways. What does that mean to you?

Acuff Sr.: It’s going to be big for me, and all the things that me and my family went through as far as the sport. So, it’s going to mean a lot. It’s probably going to be a little emotional the first time he puts the jersey on, as it was when he did it at Arkansas.

It’s gonna be a great feeling. I can’t explain the emotions. I don’t know what to expect as far as my reaction, but I know it’s gonna be a great feeling, for sure.

How did you help him navigate the NIL space, the one-and-done space, the social media space? That is a lot for a teenager to handle. What was your guidance through that part?

Acuff Sr.: Just keeping the main thing the main thing in the gym. He comes from work. That’s what he’s always been about. That’s what I’ve always been about as far as teaching him the game. Money, it’s going to be there. But you got to take pride in what you’re trying to accomplish.

What is it like for him to be your son?

Acuff Sr.: It’s great. Me and my wife, we’re just so lucky to have a son like him. Of course, my daughter, too. He’s a great kid. He’s always been a great kid. He’s never given us any problems. So, we’re just thankful that he’s who he’s become, for sure.