How is Ayo Dosunmu still using the teachings of Kobe Bryant to usher in a new era for the Bulls?

Indeed, five games into the NBA season don’t determine the eventual outcome. But there’s no denying that there’s something special about the Chicago Bullsand especially their replaceable guard, Aio Dosunmu.

The Bulls beat the New York Knicks 135-125 on Friday to get off to a 5-0 start. Plus, Chicago last started 5-0 during the 1996-1997 season, when they won their fifth championship.

Dosunmu scored a total of 22 points, had nine assists and had four rebounds. Additionally, he played with a sheer intensity, determination and fearlessness that evokes memories of one of the greatest to ever play the game, “Black mamba” himself, Kobe Bryant.

He he wasn’t afraid to shoot, he drove fast and hard to the rim just before the end of the quarter and hit a big 3-pointer with five minutes left to put Chicago up by five.

Dosunmu has a great affinity for Bryant and models his game after him. While at the University of Illinois, Dosunmu was able to translate those skills at critical moments. Most notably, a 59-51 win over Minnesota in January 2020 shortly after Bryant’s untimely death and his daughter Gigi in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

Dosunmu hit a pull-up three off the dribble against a big defender. Afterwards he said that he would be an honor Kobe every time he played, according to Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“Ewhen I step on the field from now on, I will think of him” he said to Dosunmu then. “I will think about Kobe.”

He also mentioned the respect of his own daughters inheritance. “I will think of his daughter Gigi,” he said. “I will think about his mentality.

Dosunmu honored Bryant in 2021 putting on a black mask after suffering a facial injury during a game against Michigan State in February. Aptly, it is named “Masked lamba”.

That year, Illinois won the Big Ten championship, and Dosunmu recovered Bryant’s iconic championship photo, holding the trophy.

Why Come on Kobe-style play can return the Bulls to prominence

Those attributes carried over into his NBA career.

The season ends due to shoulder surgeryDosunmu is ready for the start of the season. He is averaging 14.8 points and 2.8 rebounds and has scored in double figures in four of the first five games.

Some are already saying it could be in the hunt for the sixth man of the year, i.e. if he stays on the bench. Still, Dosunmu is a vital part of this team, even amid the turmoil .

Meanwhile, he carries with him the spirit of Kobe, and that he couldn’t came in a better time. In recent years, the Bulls have been a mediocre team that has failed to make the playoffs. However, there seems to be a big change in the group that includes Dosunmu, Josh Giddei, Matas Bouzelis, Nikola Vucevic and Kobe White.

They play with a failure and freshness that becomes more and more enjoyable to watch — a great context for the player Dosunmu’s caliber for advancement. If this holds up, the NBA world will be in for quite a surprise and perhaps some amount of basketball glory will return to Chicago.

But of course, coach Billy Donovan he says he is only five games.

“I’m happy for the lads for the effort they put in but at the same time it doesn’t mean anything unless we can hang on and keep playing at a level,” he said.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan provides perspective on 5-0 start.

“I’m happy for the lads for the effort they put in but at the same time it doesn’t mean anything unless we can hang on and keep playing at our level.” pic.twitter.com/E9gA3leccK

— Zachary Draves (@DravesZachari) November 1, 2025

A few years before his death, Bryant had the opportunity to mentor Dosunma at the Nike Basketball Academy. In essence, it becomes its own version “Black Mamba”.

“Hwas the mentality (was) just to work harder than everyone else,” he said to Dosunmu. “He was so locked in and laser focused on every little detail.”

By now Kobe would be super proud.