Arizona product Koa Peat ready for rookie season with Suns

Phoenix Suns rookie forward Koa Peat has rightfully earned the nickname “Mr. Arizona.”

From his Gilbert roots at Perry High School to his standout freshman season for the Arizona Wildcats to being drafted by the Suns in June, Peat has the chance to become a fan favorite — a hometown hero in Arizona’s professional sports.

But after winning four straight Arizona state championships at Perry, then brilliantly beginning his Wildcats career with 30 points against the defending national champion Florida Gators, Peat fell on draft boards after having a lackluster showing at the NBA Draft Combine.

It was a blessing in disguise for the Suns, who took advantage by moving up in the draft and selecting Peat with the 30th pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

“I’m feeling good; I’m feeling blessed, man. I’m super excited for this opportunity,” Peat said on Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke at Suns media day on Monday.

On being drafted by his hometown team, he later added, “It’s pretty surreal. When I got drafted by the Suns, I was like, ‘This is crazy.’ But now that it’s kind of sunk in a little bit, I’m just ready to get to work.”

Peat comes from a family with a vast athletic background. His father, Todd Peat, played nine seasons in the NFL for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals and Los Angeles Raiders. His six siblings all played college sports — his brothers football and his sisters basketball — with his older brother Andrus also making it to the NFL.

Todd passed down a lot of lessons. Koa told Ron Wolfley, a former teammate of Todd’s, how that lineage rubbed off on him with his physicality and effort level.

“He always harped on me to rebound. …(He taught me) how to be a pro, how to carry yourself, how to go about your work … to go 100% every game and just leave it all out there on the court,” Peat said.

The Suns view that mindset as a perfect fit in the gritty culture they established last season. With other young frontcourt players like Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Oso Ighodaro around him, Peat’s addition to the young core sparks newfound excitement for a team whose future previously looked bleak.

“Everywhere he’s ever been, all he’s done is win,” Suns general manager Brian Gregory said at the media day podium. “State championships right here in Arizona. Final Four at the University of Arizona, the USA Basketball success that he’s had as well. As we call them, (he’s an) ‘OKG — Our Kinda Guy.’ He’s got a tremendous work ethic, got a tremendous skill set, really has a high IQ for a younger player.”

Peat echoed Gregory’s evaluations of what his strengths are. In addition to saying he has a high IQ, he said he’s versatile, physical and not afraid to push guys around despite being a rookie. But at just 19 years old, Peat also knows there’s much he can improve on.

“I think there’s a lot of things I can improve on — working on my outside shot, improving that. Just being all out all the time, working on my motor, working on my ball handling … my body. Just trying to work on everything to help me be the best Koa Peat I can be.”

During Summer League, Peat averaged 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and two stocks (blocks + steals) in four games. He shot 51% from the field, but didn’t make either of the two 3-pointers he attempted.

Suns training camp begins Tuesday, and their first preseason game will be on Oct. 5 against the Detroit Pistons.

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