In the Hawaiian language, Koa translates to strong warrior. Jana and Todd Peat didn’t know much about what the future would hold for their son when they bestowed that name upon him, but they did know that he would need to live up to that title.
Peat is the youngest of seven children and part of a legendary family in Arizona. Todd Sr. was a brawny offensive lineman for six seasons in the NFL. Jana was a three-sport athlete in high school. And all six of Koa’s older siblings were Division I athletes.
His four brothers gravitated to football, following in their father’s footsteps. Each played in college and Andrus Peat, the second-born son, has made three Pro Bowls during his 11 seasons in the NFL. His two sisters played college basketball.
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Koa grew up playing both family sports, although he stuck to flag football over tackle. That was probably for the best, as his 6-7 frame at age 14 was punishing enough as is.
"I was good," Peat told The Sporting News. "They would just throw it up to me. I was catching it over everybody."
Peat may have been bigger and stronger than his peers, but he was the baby of the family. And they didn’t let him forget it when they engaged in family pickup games.
"They always used to beat up on me," he said, laughing. "But they don’t want to play me anymore because I’m good now. They don’t play me when I’m good."
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Koa Peat chooses basketball over football
Ask Peat, and he will tell you that he could have made it as a football player had he pursued that path. "As a competitor, I think so for sure. I think I would be really good," he said.
Instead, he chose basketball. That turned out to be a wise decision. Peat dominated at the high school level, winning Arizona’s Gatorade Player of the Year three times and getting selected to the McDonald’s All-American team as a senior.
More than the individual accolades, Peat was known as a winner. He brought home the state championship in all four years of his time at Perry High School, and he’s the only male basketball player to ever win four international gold medals at the junior level.
"I’m going to do anything the team needs me to do to win," Peat said. "I’m a fierce competitor. I hate losing."
Nowhere was that more evident than during Peat’s senior season, when he broke his hand in the middle of the state tournament. He was ruled out for the season but surprised everyone by returning for the semifinals just a week later and scoring 16 points. He followed that up with 20 points and a win in the championship game, fighting through obvious discomfort every time he flexed his taped-up shooting hand.
Peat continued to be productive in his one season at Arizona, where the Wildcats made the Final Four. He had 30 points in his debut in an upset win over defending national champion Florida. He had 21 points in a win over Houston in the Big 12 Championship game. And he had 20 in an Elite Eight win over Purdue.
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Peat used that football player’s build effectively in college. He was a bowling ball on offense, hitting almost 70 percent of his shots at the rim and getting to the line at will. He compared himself to Magic star Paolo Banchero on that end of the floor.
"He can handle the ball, get downhill, put pressure on the rim, still working on his J, kind of like me," Peat said.
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Peat sees himself in an NBA star
Peat also thinks that there are shades of an older star in his game.
"I feel like I take some things from Kawhi too. The way you can play both sides of the ball. I really take defense seriously. I feel like I could be the best defender in this class."
Leonard has become one of the deadliest shooters in the NBA. That wasn’t the case in college, where he hit on 25 percent of his 3’s at San Diego State.
Peat faces the same battle. He hit a respectable 35 percent of his attempts from deep at Arizona, but only fired away 20 times on the season. That jumper looked very shaky during the NBA combine as he struggled to implement changes in his form that were designed to lower his shooting pocket and increase the arc on his shot.
Peat knows that his shooting will be his swing skill, and the varying opinions on it have made him one of the most polarizing prospects in this class. He’s working with renowned skills coach Chris Johnson, who has trained players like LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, and Jaylen Brown. Jalen Johnson was one of his breakout clients last season, and Peat sees similarities in their games.
Peat may never be an elite shooter, but he believes that he could be a point forward in the NBA with his passing and playmaking skill, which he calls his most underrated talent. He says he’s a dog that will be in the gym 24/7. And his penchant for making winning plays speaks for itself.
Peat will be selected somewhere in the first round of Tuesday’s 2026 NBA draft. In doing so, he’s looking to add a new chapter to the family’s legacy. Ever since Todd Sr.’s NFL debut in 1987, the Peats have been synonymous with football. But the baby brother who used to get destroyed in the family competitions is now 6-7 and 245 pounds. He’s a strong warrior.
I asked Peat who the best athlete was in the household. He didn't hesitate.
"Definitely me, for sure," he said, smiling. "And they would let you know that, for sure."