Indeed, five games into the NBA season don't determine the eventual outcome. But there is no denying that there is something special about the Chicago Bulls, and in particular, their interchangeable guard, Ayo Dosunmu. 

On Friday, the Bulls defeated the New York Knicks by a score of 135-125 to start off 5-0. Plus, the last time Chicago started 5-0 was during the 1996-1997 season, when they won their fifth championship. 

Altogether, Dosunmu scored 22 points, dished out nine assists, and had four rebounds. Additionally, he played with sheer intensity, grit, and fearlessness that evokes memories of one of the greatest ever to play the game, the “Black Mamba” himself, Kobe Bean Bryant.

He wasn't afraid to take shots, drove quickly and hard to the cup just before the quarter ended, and hit a big three-pointer with five minutes left to put Chicago up by five. 

Dosunmu has an excellent affinity for Bryant and has patterned his game after his. 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 the untimely death of Bryant and his daughter Gigi in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. 

Dosunmu hit a pull-up three-pointer off the dribble against a big defender. Afterward, he said that he would honor Kobe every time he played, per Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times. 

“Every time I step on the court from now on, I’ll think about him,” Dosunmu said at the time. “I’ll think about Kobe.”

He also mentioned honoring his daughter's legacy. “I’ll think about his daughter Gigi,” he said. “I’ll think about his mentality.

In 2021, Dosunmu paid homage to Bryant by donning a black mask after suffering a facial injury during a game against Michigan State in February. Fittingly, he was dubbed the “Masked Mamba”.

That year, Illinois won the Big Ten championship, and Dosunmu recreated Bryant's iconic championship photo, cradling the trophy. 

Ayo Dosunmu/Instagram; Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty

Why Ayo's Kobe-esque game can lead the Bulls back to prominence

Those attributes have carried over into his NBA career. 

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Coming off a season cut short due to shoulder surgery, Dosunmu is on a roll to start the season. He is averaging 14.8 points and 2.8 rebounds and has scored in double figures in four out of the first five games. 

Already, some are saying he could very well be in the hunt for Sixth Man of the Year, that is, if he remains on the bench. Nevertheless, Dosunmu is a vital part of this team, even amid a swirl . 

In the meantime, he is carrying the spirit of Kobe with him, and it couldn't have come at 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 sea change amongst the group that includes Dosunmu, Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Nikola Vucevic, and Coby White. 

They play with an unsellability and freshness that has become increasingly enjoyable to watch—an excellent context for a player of Dosunmu's caliber to thrive in. If this holds up, the NBA world will be in for quite the surprise and perhaps some amount of basketball glory will come back to Chicago. 

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

“I’m happy for the guys because of the work they put in, but at the same time it doesn’t mean anything unless we can sustain it and keep playing at the level” he said.

A few years before his death, Bryant had the chance to give counsel to Dosunmu at a Nike Basketball Academy. Essentially, becomes his own version of the “Black Mamba”.

“His mentality [was] just work harder than everyone,” Dosunmu said. “He was so locked-in and laser-focused on every little detail.”

So far, Kobe would be super proud.