NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Kansas star Darryn Peterson is likely to be a top-five pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, but there was a time a few months ago when he didn’t think that day would come.
Peterson missed 11 games this season and had his time cut short in several others due to a series of cramping issues, but the worst came before the season even started.
Peterson recently told ESPN that he was taken to a hospital in September from practice with severe full-body cramps.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson controls the ball against the St. John’s Red Storm guard Oziyah Sellers during the second half of a second-round men’s NCAA Tournament game at Viejas Arena in San Diego, Calif., on March 22, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“I got to the training room and just started begging them to call 911. They were trying to get a vein to get me IV, get me back hydrated. But I was convulsing so bad they couldn’t get a vein,” Peterson said.
“I thought I was going to die on the training table that day.”
After months of searching for answers, Peterson said high doses of creatine resulted in cramps.
Used to increase muscle size, creatine is perhaps the most researched supplement on the market and has numerous benefits. But for Peterson, it led to a terrifying situation.
PGA TOUR GOLFER BEN GRIFFIN SAYS HE ‘OVERDOSED’ ON CREATINE AMID BAD START IN BMW CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL ROUND
“I had never taken it before [going to college]. But after the season I took two weeks off and they did tests which showed that my base level was already high. So, they said, when I dosed, it must have made the levels unsafe,” he said.
Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson drives the ball against Iowa State Cyclones forward Dominykas Pleta during the second half of a Big 12 basketball game on February 14, 2026 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. (Nirmalendu Majumdar / Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
NCAA TOURNAMENT EXPANDS TO 76 TEAMS: NEW FORMAT, REVENUE BOOM AND MORE GAMES AHEAD
“It put me in a bit of a tizzy because I didn’t know what was causing it. I’ve never had anything wrong with me before. Basketball is my life. What I love to do. But something was going on and I couldn’t figure it out.”
Peterson no longer takes creatine and has had no problems since. He even played at least 30 minutes in eight of Kansas’ last nine games this past season.
Of course, Peterson’s lack of play drew criticism, but he did everything he could to play.
“They saw I was in rehab every day before practice, after practice. Getting massages. Trying all kinds of things. Carb loading because they thought I didn’t have glucose or anything. Electrolytes. Fluid IV, LMNT. I changed my diet. I prepared meals. Everything I could think of,” he said.
Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson jogs back after making a three-pointer against the Houston Cougars inside Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Head coach Bill Self even decided that playing off-ball would prevent him from overexerting himself, potentially leading to more cramps.
Peterson averaged 20.2 points per game. match and is generally expected to be one of the first names off the board next month.
