In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls selected guard Ayo Dosunmu from the University of Illinois Fighting Illini.
Dosunmu, a Chicago product, was happy to be selected by his hometown team. Dosunmu made his professional debut at the Las Vegas Summer League on Monday, August 9, at the MGM Resorts.
“My friends and family know where my talent is and they know there weren’t 37 people better than me,” said Dosunmu via Chicago Bulls Twitter. “When I was selected by Chicago my home city, they knew it was a dream come true. It was a blessing in disguise.”
According to his bio, Dosunmu began his high school career at Chicago’s Westinghouse College Prep, where he helped lead the Warriors to a 2015 conference championship against Al Raby High School and scored a season-high 40 points against Crane High School as a freshman.
Dosunmu earned Chicago Sun-Times All-City accolades and transferred after his freshman year to Morgan Park High School.
During his junior season, Dosunmu led the Mustangs to a 3A State Championship, in spite of suffering an injury in the semi-finals.
In his senior season, Dosunmu led the Mustangs once again to a state championship in which he scored 28 points, breaking an IHSA record for points scored in a championship game.
In 2018, Dosunmu was named one of 26 high school seniors who participated in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 8, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Dosunmu was also the third Illini to be selected to play in the Jordan Classic, joining Dee Brown, who played for the Red team in 2002, and Jalen Coleman-Lands who played in 2015.
Dosunmu was also selected to play in the second annual Iverson Roundball Classic All-American Game in April 2018 at Souderton Area High School outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
During his senior season, Dosunmu averaged 25.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.7 steals, leading Morgan Park to a second-straight IHSA Class 3A championship.
Dosunmu was also named a Consensus first-team All-State selection by the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Champaign News-Gazette, and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) following his senior season.
Recruiting
On October 19, 2017, Dosunmu verbally committed to play college basketball for Illinois and head coach Brad Underwood. Dosunmu announced his commitment to Illinois over Wake Forest at the flagship Jordan Brand Store on State Street in the Chicago Loop. Dosunmu signed his National Letter of Intent to attend Illinois in November 2017. During his junior season, Dosunmu led the Fighting Illini to a Big Ten Tournament Championship.
He was named Consensus first-team All-American (2021),
Bob Cousy Award (2021), 2× First-team All-Big Ten – Media (2020, 2021), First-team All-Big Ten – Coaches (2021), Second-team All-Big Ten – Coaches (2020), Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2019), and the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2021).
Dosunmu was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 38th pick in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft.
“He does a little bit of everything. He does a lot of scoring… he’s versatile, long, 6-10 wingspan, 6-5. So he has size. He’s a combo guard. We rely on versatility and that’s what we’re looking forward to seeing,” said Artûras Karniðovas, vice president of basketball operations of the Chicago Bulls via Chicago BullsTwitter.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
