Former UConn star Sanogo has best game of NBA career with the Bulls
The broadcast alluded to it multiple times as Adama Sanogo put together the best game of his young NBA career in a 129-127 Chicago Bulls win over the Washington Wizards Friday night.
“That’s Huskies Sanogo right there!” NBC Sports Chicago play-by-play man Adam Amin said after Sanogo finished a layup off a pick-and-roll in the second quarter. “There it is … Sanogo! National champion,” color man Stacey King said after the 6-foot-9 big man from Mali and 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player finished a layup over Washington’s Anthony Gill.
The pair went nuts when Sanogo grabbed his 20th rebound with less than five seconds to go, and sealed the game with his 22nd point from the free throw line, which excited another former Husky on the Bulls, Andre Drummond.
“I’ve been waiting for this all year,” Sanogo told reporters after the game. “The thing about this, it’s like a dream come true for me… I don’t think I got here by chance, I got here because these guys believe in me, these guys think I have a chance. I’ve got to show that too, like ‘I can do this. I have a place here.’”
He was just the second NBA rookie to have a 20-20 game this season, joined only by 7-foot-4 sensation Victor Wembanyama.
Sanogo played 11 minutes on Thursday and 35 on Friday. Undrafted and on a two-way contract, the former UConn anchor played in nine regular season games for the Bulls and averaged 22 points and 12.7 rebounds over 29 games in the G League.
“The interview was classic, too, but that’s not surprising,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said after the Huskies’ championship parade Saturday. “He’s an NBA player.”
“That was amazing,” said former teammate Alex Karaban. “We watched a little bit of it, I’ve got to watch the highlights of it still, but to get 22 and 20 off the bench, he deserves it. He works his (butt) off and it’s not really a surprise to us.”