Ayo Dosunmu Selected for Rising Stars Event at All-Star Weekend!

February 1, 2022, by Elias Schuster Chicago Bulls

Bulls fans already knew Ayo Dosunmu was a Rising Star, but now the NBA has made it official.

Tonight on TNT, the league announced the players who will participate in the Rising Stars event at All-Star Weekend. Dosunmu has cracked the 12-man roster alongside other notable rookies like Cade Cunningham Evan Mobley, Jalen Green, and Jalen Suggs.

CHICAGO'S OWN.

Congrats to @AyoDos_11 on making the 2022 NBA Rising Stars game! pic.twitter.com/kW6RDEyQlk

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 2, 2022

Dosunmu is the lowest drafted player from the 2021 class selected for this year’s event, coming off the board in the second round at 38th-overall. However, from the moment he’s stepped on the floor this season, the Illini Legend (who had his jersey enter the rafters at the university earlier this season) has easily looked like a lottery-level talent. Dosunmu carved out a rotational role thanks to his outstanding on-ball defense at the beginning of this season. Shortly after earning more consistent playing time, the offense started to follow in an efficient manner, shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from downtown.

Dosunmu’s two-way capabilities and quick ascent up the rookie-ranks have been key to the Bulls’ sustained success, especially in the wake of long-term injuries to Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. In fact, his contributions have been so important that head coach Billy Donovan has opted to name him the team’s interim starting point guard. Dosunmu has looked nothing short of comfortable in this new role, averaging, 12.7 points, 6.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game in his last nine starts.

For those who may have missed it, Dosunmu’s will also be one of the first players to participate in a brand new version of the Rising Stars event. The NBA has decided to split the league’s top young talent into four teams for a mini-tournament, and we shared all the new rules in the post below: