Bulls’ Ayo Dosunmu reacts to Gary Payton drafting him for Rising Stars
Chicago Bulls rookie Ayo Dosunmu on Friday expressed his gratitude that Hall of Famer Gary Payton drafted him for his team in the NBA Rising Stars game as part of All-Star Weekend.
Dosunmu, the 38th pick, was among the 12 rookies, and 28 players overall, selected to participate in the annual showcase event. The contest will also feature 12 second-year players and four players from the NBA G League Ignite.
The league announced the four, seven-player teams for the event on Friday as drafted by Payton, Rick Barry, Isiah Thomas and James Worthy. Dosunmu was among those selected by Payton for his roster, joining the likes of LaMelo Ball, Scottie Barnes and others.
Dosunmu previously said that he will use the festivities as an opportunity to ask questions and learn from some of the greats in the game. He has a longstanding relationship with Payton and will continue to lean on him now that he will be playing for him.
He was my coach for the Nike Skills Challenge in my senior year of high school. We had a great relationship. I picked his brain a lot already so (the fact) he drafted me means a lot and that just means he kept the relationship that we had from back then.
Dosunmu has emerged as a key player as of late for the Bulls. He has started in each of the last 12 games, averaging 12.8 points, 7.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals on 44.2% shooting from 3-point range during that stretch.
AYO DOSUNMU SLAM TO ICE THE GAME 😱❄️ @brhoops pic.twitter.com/1HmPnTYA8A
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 5, 2022
The 22-year-old Dosunmu became the first rookie in history to record at least 20 points and 10 assists while shooting 90% (9-of-10) versus the Boston Celtics on Jan. 15. He is also just one of three rookies with multiple double-digit assist games (Josh Giddey, Cade Cunningham).
Dosunmu has likely become perhaps the biggest steal of the draft based on his production. He was one of just two second-round picks selected for the Rising Stars game (Herb Jones) and will now have the opportunity to showcase his game on a larger scale.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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