CHICAGO, Ill. (WAND) -- If you're an NBA scout, executive or coach researching Ayo Dosunmu right now, you're in the right place.
You can only know Ayo Dosunmu if you sit inside his family's living room on the South Side of Chicago.
[VIDEO: DOSUNMU FAMILY DISCUSSION: NBA DRAFT AND 12 TOPICS 'BIGGER THAN BASKETBALL']
That's where you'll meet the people that make Ayo Ayo: his parents Jamarra and Quam Dosunmu.
In this 30-minute discussion with WAND's Gordon Voit, the trio discusses everything from his recent decision to declare for the NBA Draft to things much bigger than basketball: his spiritual growth the past two years, NBA comparisons -- even a rapid fire series of fun questions about trash talking, the best gym Ayo played in and more.
0- 0:00
Response of past few days
3:15
Sacrifices family and Ayo have made
“You just have to look at the bigger picture and know that the reward is going to be so much better than the sacrifices that we’re enduring now.”
- Jamarra 3:50
“He doesn’t live the lifestyle of a regular teenage, or young early 20s young man. His life is totally different. And that’s a sacrifice he has made to do something that he loves… ice skating or roller blading, that he just can’t do”
5:20
Ayo on his sacrifices
“Kids look up to me. I’m only 20 but I was blessed by the Lord to have a great talent, so by having that talent and treating people with respect and just showing love. Kids look up to me, so that sacrifice I have to make to make sure I’m always showing positive vibes and I’m always leading by example because I know that there’s always someone watching.”
6:20
Spiritual growth over the past two years
7:20
Q on biggest change in Ayo over past two years, how college changed him: “It’s a beautiful sight”
9:00
Clarifying up “The Decision”: not a “now” decision, it’s been a six-year plan
- Everyone has an opinion, it doesn’t mean it’s fact
10:50
- Q: Ayo’s a winner… Everything he does is about winning…. When game was on the line, ball was in his hands.
11:20
Q: “His shooting percentage went down, this (and that) …. Look at his oevrall game. When it matters, when the game was on the line, the ball was in his hands. Be the playmaker. Make the decision. Bring us home. He’s done that numerous, numerous times.”
11:40
- GV: Team USA showed that he’s more than just measurables, stats, numbers.
- Ayo: MJ, Kobe - “They didn’t base their game off of their jump shots. They didn’t base their games off of getting assists or rebounds. It was a collective unit.
12:30
Ayo: Some days the rim is closed, you still have to win. Coach Self, Coach Manning told him what he needs to do to win.
13:15
- NBA players that have been giving him advice: Quincy Pondexter, Deron Williams
14:25
Ayo on who gives him tough love
15:15
Jamarra’s Twitter pizzaz and fame!
17:45
What’s the first NBA contact that will happen?
- Q: We have a weekly call; My brother is guiding the process
- Q: We’re trying to keep up with the rules and policies and wait like everybody else
- Q: I’m sure the calls will be coming in soon
20:00
“I’m just running, lifting weights… Whenever the opportunity presents itself, I’ll be ready.”
20:20
Who do they compare you to?
Ayo: A bigger version of Jrue Holiday, but I try to take little bits and pieces from other players
Q: When I break down Ayo, I look at his heart, not skills.
22:45
Q: “You can’t grade his heart, you can just see it.”
23:10
RAPID FIRE
- Favorite gym
- Favorite snack
- Funniest teammate
- Most trash talking (25:00)
- Most underrated college player (26:30)
- Most underrated NBA player (27:30)
- Who Ayo looked up to in Chicago (28:00)
