(From Illinois Sports Information Office)

December 8, 2021

Champaign, ILL.– Fighting Illini all-time great and current Chicago Bulls rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu will return to the University of Illinois campus on Thursday, Jan. 6, participating in a ceremony as he joins the Illinois Basketball Honored Jerseys program.

Winners of five straight and off to a 2-0 start in Big Ten play, Illinois will host Maryland on Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. CT. Dosunmu will officially become the 34^th player in school history to have his jersey raised to the rafters at State Farm Center that night. Tickets are available for just $25 and can be purchased online at FightingIllini.com.

Dosunmu averaged 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists last season, becoming the first NCAA player in 11 years to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. He accumulated the most impressive single-season list of accolades ever by an Illini player, highlighted by USA Today National Player of the Year, Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year, and consensus first-team All-American.

Dosunmu led Illinois to a 24-7 record, including a 16-4 mark in conference play followed by the Big Ten Tournament championship and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Illini set school records with 19 victories against Big Ten competitors and six wins over top-10 teams. Illinois ended the year at No. 2 in the final AP poll, the second-highest ranking in program history.

Dosunmu finished his career ranked No. 15 on the Illinois career scoring list, with his total of 1,504 points the most in school history among three-year players. Known for his ability to close out games and make big plays in winning time, Dosunmu led the Illini to the most victories among Big Ten teams over the previous two seasons, as Illinois combined for 29 conference wins across 2020 and 2021.

Dosunmu is enjoying a terrific start to his NBA career as a key rotation player for the Bulls, who own the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 17-8.