Ayo Dosunmu
Dosunmu with the Chicago Bulls in 2022
No. 12 – Chicago Bulls
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2000-01-17) January 17, 2000 (age 24)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolMorgan Park (Chicago, Illinois)
CollegeIllinois (2018–2021)
NBA draft2021: 2nd round, 38th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–presentChicago Bulls
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Americas U18 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2018 St. Catharines Team

Quamdeen Ayopo Dosunmu (born January 17, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at Illinois, where he was named a consensus first-team All-American in his junior season.

Early life and high school career

Ayo Dosunmu was born in Chicago to a Nigerian father and African-American mother. He descends from the Yoruba people in Nigeria, and his name Ayo means "joy" in the Yoruba language. 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,[1][2] earning Chicago Sun-Times All-City Accolades. Dosunmu transferred after his freshman year to Morgan Park. During his junior year, Dosunmu led the Mustangs to a 3A State Championship, although he was unable to play in the championship game due to injury. In his senior year, 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 March 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.[3] Dosunmu is 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.[4] 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 of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[5] 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.[6][7] 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.[8] Dosunmu signed his National Letter of Intent in November 2017 to attend Illinois.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Ayo Dosunmu
PG 		Chicago, IL Morgan Park (IL) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oct 19, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 30  247Sports: 30  ESPN: 36
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Illinois 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  • "2018 Illinois Fighting Illini Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.

College career

Dosunmu with Illinois in 2020
Dosunmu (left) with Illinois in 2020

2018–19 season

Dosunmu made his college debut on November 8, 2018, against Evansville, recording 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting, with six rebounds, four assists and three steals.[9] Following the season, Dosunmu was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and was named as an honorable mention for the All-Big 10 Team.[10] He averaged 13.8 points and 3.3 assists per game as a freshman.[11]

2019–20 season

Dosunmu hit a last-second jump shot in a 64–62 win over Michigan on January 25, 2020, and finished with 27 points.[12] On February 11, Dosunmu was injured late in a 70–69 loss to Michigan State.[13] Despite an MRI showing no structural damage, Dosunmu missed the following game against Rutgers.[14] In his return from injury, Dosunmu scored 24 points in a 62–56 win at Penn State.[15] At the close of the regular season, Dosunmu was named to the First Team All-Big Ten by the media and Second Team by the coaches.[16] As a sophomore, Dosunmu averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.[17] Following the season, Dosunmu declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[18] Dosunmu withdrew from the draft to return to Illinois for his junior season on July 31, 2020.[19]

2020–21 season

In his junior season debut on November 25, 2020, Dosunmu recorded 28 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a 122–60 win against North Carolina A&T.[20] On December 12, he scored a career-high 36 points in an 81–78 loss to Missouri.[21] On February 6, 2021, he became the third player in program history to register a triple-double, with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a 75–60 victory over Wisconsin.[22] On February 20, Dosunmu recorded his second triple-double, with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 94–63 win over Minnesota.[23] On February 23, Dosunmu suffered a broken nose during an 81–72 loss to Michigan State.[24] On March 14, he recorded 16 points and nine rebounds in a 91–88 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Men's Basketball Championship game. He was named the Big Ten tournament Most Outstanding Player.[25] Dosunmu was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Bob Cousy Award as top point guard in the nation.[26] On April 6, 2021, Dosunmu declared for the 2021 NBA draft, ending his three-year career with Illinois.[27]

Legacy

On January 6, 2022, Dosunmu's number 11 was honored by the Illini.[28]

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2021–present)

2021–22 season

Dosunmu was selected in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft with the 38th pick by his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls.[29] On August 18, 2021, the Chicago Bulls announced that they had signed Dosunmu.[30] On December 8, 2021, Dosunmu entered the starting lineup for the Bulls. He scored 11 points along with six rebounds and eight assists in a 109–97 victory over the Denver Nuggets.[31] On January 25, 2022, Dosunmu opened with nine consecutive made field goals, surpassing Orlando Woolridge's Bulls rookie record of eight.[32]

2022–23 season

On December 21, 2022, Dosunmu put up a buzzer-beating, game-winning putback in a 110–108 win over the Atlanta Hawks.[33]

On July 23, 2023, Dosunmu re-signed with the Chicago Bulls.[34]

2023-2024 season

On February 12, 2024, Dosunmu scored a career-high 29 points, with a season-high 7 assists, in a 136-126 win against the Atlanta Hawks. [35]

National team career

In May 2018, Dosunmu was among the 32 players who earned an invitation to the training camp at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado for USA Basketball Men's U18 National Team in preparation for the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship.[7] Dosunmu won a gold medal with the U18 National Team, while averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds during the international competition.[36]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Chicago 77 40 27.4 .520 .376 .679 2.8 3.3 .8 .4 8.8
2022–23 Chicago 80 51 26.2 .493 .312 .805 2.8 2.6 .8 .3 8.6
2023–24 Chicago 40 6 22.8 .473 .368 .791 2.5 2.0 .7 .3 8.4
Career 197 97 26.0 .499 .350 .754 2.7 2.8 .8 .3 8.6

Play-in

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Chicago 2 0 5.3 .000 .000 – .5 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 2 0 5.3 .000 .000 – .5 .0 .0 .0 .0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Chicago 5 1 17.2 .308 .231 1.000 2.6 2.2 .2 .0 4.0
Career 5 1 17.2 .308 .231 1.000 2.6 2.2 .2 .0 4.0

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Illinois 32 32 31.3 .435 .352 .695 4.0 3.3 1.3 .3 13.8
2019–20 Illinois 30 30 33.5 .484 .296 .755 4.3 3.3 .8 .2 16.6
2020–21 Illinois 28 28 35.1 .488 .390 .783 6.3 5.3 1.1 .2 20.1
Career 90 90 33.2 .470 .345 .750 4.8 3.9 1.1 .2 16.7

References

  1. ^ "Michael O'Brien's notebook: April 8, 2016". 8 April 2016.
  2. ^ "From Chicago, with Joy: Ayo Dosunmu's name — and game — are fueling Illini rise". 11 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Ayo to play in Jordan Brand Classic". News-Gazette. March 8, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  4. ^ "All-Time Jordan Brand All-Americans". Jordan Brand Classic. 2018. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  5. ^ Yuscavage, Chris (March 21, 2018). "2nd Annual Iverson Classic to Feature Shareef O'Neal, Mac McClung, and More High School Stars". Complex. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  6. ^ Clark, Mike (March 18, 2018). "Illinois recruit Ayo Dosunmu leads Morgan Park to second straight Class 3A state title". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Richey, Scott (May 7, 2018). "Dosunmu gets Team USA camp invite". News-Gazette. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  8. ^ Phillips, Scott (October 19, 2017). "Ayo Dosunmu commitment changes the outlook of Illinois basketball". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  9. ^ Ryan, Shannon (8 November 2018). "Ayo Dosunmu lives up to billing in Illinois debut with 18 points in 99-60 rout of Evansville". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN". bigten.org. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  11. ^ Ryan, Shannon (April 18, 2019). "Ayo Dosunmu's return raises the bar for the Illini. Now they need an NCAA Tournament season". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  12. ^ "Ayo Dosunmu lifts Illinois over Michigan 64–62". WGNTV. Associated Press. January 25, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  13. ^ Ryan, Shannon (February 12, 2020). "What's the plan if Ayo Dosunmu can't play the next game? 4 takeaways from Illinois' 70–69 loss to Michigan State". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  14. ^ Piper, Derek (February 15, 2020). "Dosunmu won't play at Rutgers; Griffin starts for Bezhanishvili". 247 Sports. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  15. ^ "Dosunmu scores 24, Illinois beats No. 9 Penn State 62–56". ESPN. Associated Press. February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  16. ^ "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  17. ^ Kissack, Tristen (March 9, 2020). "Ayo Dosunmu selected to All-Big Ten First Team". The Champaign Room. SB Nation. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  18. ^ Ryan, Shannon (April 15, 2020). "Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu declares for the NBA draft: 'I'm 100% locked in'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  19. ^ Borzello, Jeff (1 August 2020). "Illinois' Dosunmu says he's returning to chase title". ESPN.com. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  20. ^ Towery, Terry (November 25, 2020). "Dosunmu, Miller lead No. 8 Illinois past NC A&T 122–60". Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  21. ^ "Ayo Dosunmu scores 36, but Illini fall 81-78 to Missouri". Chicago Sun-Times. Associated Press. December 12, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  22. ^ Good, Gavin (February 6, 2021). "Illini ride Dosunmu's triple-double to win over Wisconsin, game against Michigan postponed". Journal Star. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  23. ^ Ryan, Shannon (February 20, 2021). "Ayo Dosunmu triple-double leads Illinois' rout of Minnesota". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  24. ^ Davis, Tyler (February 23, 2021). "Michigan State basketball beats No. 4 Illinois, 81-72: Game thread replay". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  25. ^ "Recap: #2 Illinois Captures Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Title with 91-88 OT Win Over #5 Ohio State". Big Ten Conference. Associated Press. March 14, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  26. ^ "Bob Cousy Award". hoophall.com. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  27. ^ "Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu Declares for 2021 NBA Draft, Will Hire Agent". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  28. ^ "DeRozan attends Ayo Dosunmu Night in Champaign". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 2022-01-07. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  29. ^ Wagner, Joey (July 30, 2021). "'We didn't think he was going to be there': Bulls hope they got a steal in Ayo Dosunmu". 247 Sports. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  30. ^ "Bulls sign rookies Dosunmu and Simonović". NBA.com. August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  31. ^ Smith, Sam (December 8, 2021). "ROOKIE AYO DOSUNMU HAS EARNED HIS STARTING OPPORTUNITY". Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  32. ^ Schaefer, Rob (January 25, 2022). "Dosunmu set Bulls rookie record in career night vs. OKC". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  33. ^ Pagaduan, Jedd (December 21, 2022). "Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu shocks Trae Young, Hawks with game-winning putback". ClutchPoints. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  34. ^ "Bulls re-sign Ayo Dosunmu". NBA.com. July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  35. ^ "Bulls run past Hawks behind Dosunmu's career-high 29". NBA.com. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  36. ^ Richey, Scott (June 18, 2018). "Welcome to campus, Ayo". News Gazette. Retrieved June 20, 2018.

External links

Chicago Bulls roster
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