Kansas guard and top prospect Darryn Peterson finally has an answer for the mysterious cramping he repeatedly experienced during his first and only college season, telling ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that high doses of creatine created the condition. Doctors reached that conclusion after Peterson underwent additional testing and bloodwork after the season ended.
“I’d never taken it before (going to college),” Peterson explained. “But after the season I took two weeks off and they did tests which showed my baseline level was already high. So, they said when I dosed (a process of increasing a dose over time to create maximum benefit at the beginning of taking a supplement), it must’ve made the levels unsafe.”
Peterson was hospitalized in September after experiencing an intense full-body cramp, and that experience stuck with him throughout the season. Speaking to Shelburne, he admitted that he was worried all year about the possibility of it happening again.
“Whenever I felt anything like that come on, my initial thought was that it might get to that again,” Peterson said. “And I can’t let that happen and be embarrassed and have that on TV and all that. It kind of put me in a tizzy because I didn’t know what was causing it. Nothing has ever been 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, who didn’t speak to the media often during the season about the health issues he was experiencing, has fallen behind BYU’s AJ Dybantsa on most draft boards since the fall and is no longer considered the favorite to be drafted first overall.
However, teams with one of the top two or three picks in next month’s draft will likely feel more comfortable about the prospect of drafting him now that the cause of his cramping has been identified. Peterson tells Shelburne that he has started feeling more comfortable since getting an explanation and hasn’t experienced any problems since he stopped taking a creatine supplement.
Here are a few more notes related to the 2026 NBA draft:
- Duke’s Cameron Boozer is the No. 1 prospect on the top-15 list compiled by John Hollinger of The Athletic, who says Boozer’s offensive upside outweighs his limitations as a defender and rim protector. Hollinger views a “Kevin Love-type impact” as a median outcome for Boozer and believes there’s upside for more than that.
- The NBA has announced the four 11-man rosters for this weekend’s G League combine, as Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress relays (via Twitter). After initially announcing 44 participants, the league made three changes to that list earlier this week and has since made two more, Chepkevich notes (via Twitter), with Vanderbilt’s Duke Miles and Cal’s Chris Bell replacing Arkansas’ Malique Ewin and NC State’s Darrion Williams. Williams has COVID-19, per Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link), who confirms that Isiah Harwell and Paulius Murauskas – having previously pulled out of the G League combine – are withdrawing from the draft.
- ESPN’s Brian Windhorst considers the enormous stakes of this Sunday’s draft lottery, starting with the Pacers and Clippers having their short-term outlooks altered significantly by the outcome of what is essentially a coin flip.
It’s good we know what was wrong with Peterson. Crazy it was all from creatine. Still some other issues for him that needs to be looked at for on the court but the combine is soon
I’d like to sell you a bridge in Manhattan
It happened all season. Is the Kansas training staff that incompetent? Seems highly unlikely with the amount of resources floating around that program.
I highly doubt the UK training staff comes with a medical lab. How would they know? Not really incompetent.
Honestly, doesnt strike as something that they would link with creatine
I mean I never heard of such thing (though I am not a doctor nor athletic trainer), but I’d say it isnt that common to easily tie both of those together.
If anything, creatine should help prevent cramps. Plus any creatine the body can’t absorb gets flushed out, so the notion that “too much” creatine caused this is pretty out there. IF we take Peterson at his word, maybe he took some cheap creatine weird additives
Based off a quick google search, cramps are symptons related to “too much creatine”. So it sounds feasible.
Like how would someone even come up with a lie like this lol
Paul George has mental health issues, not a dope cheat at all. Lying comes easy for these guys.
Whoa Sparky!! Cool your jets. What does Paul George have to do with Peterson? What is Peterson lying about?
Based off a quick google search of my own, there is no evidence that creatine causes cramps. And are you really asking why a guy who has millions at stake would say he’s found the cause of his health issue?
Why is it weird to believe something like that? How can you have bad creatine? That makes no sense at all. The body creates creatine. To much, or to little of something can cause problems.
High creatine levels absolutely will make you dehydrated and cramp up. If Peterson is anything like other normal 19 yo, he possibly uses energy drinks from time to time. They are really high in creatine by themselves, and mixing them with any sort of pre-workout or supplement can be really dangerous. When I worked as a mail carrier I drank 1-2 monsters a day and it cramped one whole side of my body to the point of I was literally slumped over and couldn’t stand up straight and had to be hospitalized. My creatine levels were off the charts and I’ve never used pre-workout a day in my life. It’s more common than most of us realize, we just usually don’t make the connection that creatine is the cause unless a doctor takes blood and actually checks for those levels.
Wow, what miraculous timing that Peterson’s issues are solved right before the draft. Sort of how every prospect with a questionable jumpshot fixes it within weeks of their college season ending
Umm…Not really. The problem occurred last September. The testing happened a month. The draft is not for another 6 weeks.
Umm…What are you even talking about?
Not really a miracle.
Do you know what sarcasm is? I totally was not being sarcastic when I said that the timing was miraculous
What was sarcastic about it?
I’ll take that as a no
Tbh Devin Vassell “ruined” his shot during pre draft lmao
Almost time to learn that Boozer is just 6″7″.
LMAOOO
Creatine is used as a supplement by athletes. Didn’t know it was this prevalent. Probably taking too much. Peterson is a top talent. I’m sure they will chk him out thoroughly. I still think he could go #1 depending on who’s picking.
Remember when Smith Jr was the pick over Banchero cause of upside. Well I like Smith but we are still waiting for the finished product with him. You can’t go wrong with Boozer as a top pick. All about team fit with top three talents. A d he’s not suppose to be a rim protector. Where does that come from. His defense is fine to me. He is a 4 and just needs to get stronger, 19 yrs old.
Rooting for Clippers to get that pick (#5).
The body makes creatine. It is used for workout recovery. He is naturally a high energy guy.
I read it helps recovery time. And muscle building and strength. But each person is given doses. Imo supplements are fine but you have to know what you are doing. Pressure to make it big in sports is strong man.
They didn’t his body already makes a high level of creatine.