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 service's. 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 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.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/arkansas/men/2026.html 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.https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/darius-acuff-jr-1.html 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.
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
College
| style="text-align:left;"| 2025–26 | style="text-align:left;"| Arkansas | 36 || 36 || 35.1|| .484|| .440|| .809|| 3.1 || 6.4 || .8 || .3 || 23.5
References
External links Arkansas Razorbacks bio USA Basketball bio