Former Illini Ayo Dosunmu to Miss Remainder of NBA Season

Dosunmu, a former Illinois All-American and current Chicago Bulls guard, will undergo shoulder surgery

Feb 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) warms up before a game against the Golden State Warriors at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Chicago Bulls guard and former Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu requires shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the NBA season, the Bulls announced on Sunday.

The team noted that Dosunmu was "experiencing left shoulder instability," and the surgery decision was reached after "further evaluation from training and medical professionals."

Medical Update: After experiencing left shoulder instability and further evaluation from training and medical professionals, Ayo Dosunmu will undergo surgery and be out for the remainder of the season.

Updates will be provided as appropriate. pic.twitter.com/73JgzApS9W

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 2, 2025

Dosunmu, 25, averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 30.3 minutes – all NBA career highs – over 46 games for the Bulls this season. In his first three seasons with the Bulls, after being selected in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft, Dosunmu never missed more than five games.

He attended and played at Illinois from 2018 through 2021, earning All-America honors as a junior – his last season in Champaign – when he also helped lead the Illini to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Dosumnu averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 90 games at Illinois.

Dosunmu's injury likely sinks the dwindling playoff hopes of the Bulls, who are 24-36 and in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings – 2.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers. If Chicago held its current position, it would squeak into the NBA's postseason play-in tournament, but the Bulls would be the longest of long shots. More likely, Dosunmu's news will send the team into full rebuild mode.

No timetable for Dosunmu's recovery or further details were released by the Bulls, and the team stated that updates would be provided when appropriate.

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