FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - When the Arkansas Razorbacks sign 5-star, one-and-done recruits out of high school, they tend to receive plenty of endearment from their fanbase.
While former players such as Ronnie Brewer , Bobby Portis , Anthony Black , Jordan Walsh , Nick Smith, Jr., and others were shown adoration, it was the infatuation for Darius Acuff that reached levels unseen.
With coach John Calipari's career history of producing top guards for the NBA, Acuff performed at a historical clip that includes matching a record set by the legendary Pete Maravich while leading Arkansas to its first SEC Tournament Championship since 2000.
Acuff could do nothing wrong in the eyes of fans either.
Some have proclaimed him as the single greatest player to ever come through the UA, career production aside. Whether it was his scoring, dazzling handles or getting teammates involved by averaging seven assists per game, he was a superstar and Acuff credits it all to Calipari.
"It was all [Calipari]," Acuff told Swish Culture . I credit assistant coach Chin [Coleman], too. It was them two for sure. The guards, like, seeing that history, it's hard to pass that up. Watching how he got what I think are two MVPs now, with Derrick Rose and [ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ].
"So, just seeing all them guys make it to the NBA, like even some guys who averaged probably 13, 14 points and they were, you know, top five, top 10 picks. So just seeing the history, that was the biggest thing for me."
Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari greets the seventh pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. after he was selected by the Sacramento Kings at Barclays Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
And that's exactly what Calipari helped him do, surgically expose defenses at every level on his way to averaging 24 points, six assists and three rebounds on 48% shooting from the field, 44% from three and 81% from free throw line as a freshman.
His reputation as a scorer and facilitator gained steam in the postseason as he became a national sensation by averaging 30 points, seven assists and one steal across six postseason tournament appearances.
Calipari made it well known that teams would regrett passing on his superstar guard during an appearance on Fox Sports leading up to the NBA Draft.
"A great teammate. We all hear stuff. I'm around these kids, all they want to do is get better. They want to respect who's coaching them," Calipari told The Herd. "And Darius Acuff, I'm telling you, there's going to be some guys regretting [not picking him].
"That's okay. That's okay. When he starts playing, you'll remember this conversation, and we're saying, 'You're going to regret not taking him.'"
There's one team in the NBA that likely won't be regretting their decision drafting Acuff, the Sacramento Kings .
The congregants inside Sacramento's Golden 1 Center erupted with applause when NBA general manager Adam Silver announced the Kings' selection of Acuff at No. 7 overall.
Before Acuff met with media members over a video call, he had already seen the reaction and is ready to reciprocate the appreciation for his game by showing them love and appreciation for the front office.
"It was great to see Kings fans celebrate like that," Acuff said. "They're showing love already. I'm going to definitely show love right back. I'm excited to be there. I love Sacramento. I know it's a great city."
Like the Razorbacks, the Kings have a loyal fanbase despite its struggles over the previous two decades. But with family connections in place with the Kings along with a commitment to put pieces around Acuff to be successful there's a chance the franchise could rise from the NBA cellar.
"I wanted to be [in Sacramento] for sure," Acuff continued. "Any team I got drafted to, I would have been fine, but this is definitely my best destination. I'm excited to be here. It's just a relationship that's been going on for a while now. This is the best thing for me."
Acuff's drive to be one of the greatest to step on the hardwood will be something the Kings will covet for many years to come. Arkansas and Sacramento fans will get to see him very soon with NBA Summer League action at the California Classic which is scheduled for July 4-6.
If Acuff develops into the NBA star Calipari believes he can become, Arkansas fans will likely point to his lone season in Fayetteville as another example of why elite guards continue trusting the Hall of Fame coach with their careers.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arkansas as Kings Fans Will Soon Understand Why Razorbacks' Fans Loved Acuff .
