Illinois Guard Ayo Dosunmu Declares for 2021 NBA Draft

Ayo Dosunmu is heading to the NBA after earning consensus first team All-American honors as a junior in 2020-21.

Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports

Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu announced he will declare for the 2021 NBA draft.

Dosunmu will hire an agent and forgo his remaining college eligibility, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony. 

NCAA Consensus First-Team All-American @AyoDos_11 has declared for the 2021 NBA Draft.

For all you have done for Illinois Basketball, Thank You Ayo. pic.twitter.com/CRiK750q1A

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) April 6, 2021

Dosunmu will head to the NBA following a standout junior season. He earned consensus first team All-American honors, finishing the year with 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Illinois won the Big Ten tournament behind Dosunmu's brilliance, entering the men's NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed. 

Illinois lost to Loyola Chicago in the second round of the 2021 men's tournament. Dosunmu finished the game with just nine points on 4-10 from the field. 

Dosunmu sits at No. 40 on Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo's latest big board. 

"In taking an individual step forward and helping turn Illinois into one of the best teams in the country, Dosunmu has firmly played himself into the draft," Woo wrote in February. "Pinning down his exact fit in the NBA is still a bit tricky."

"Dosunmu projects better as a wing long-term than at the point, which will require him to step up defensively and continue knocking down jumpers. But he continues to prove he’s up to task, and a strong finish to the season will help inch him closer to the first round." 

The 2021 NBA draft will be held on July 29. The draft lottery is slated for June 22.