SAVOY — Kendall Gill was a big part of an impressive wave of Illinois basketball talent to be drafted into the NBA. From 1983 to 1990, Illinois produced five first-round NBA Draft picks — culminating in Gill going No. 5 overall in the 1990 NBA Draft — and four second-round NBA Draft picks.
The Illini had another great run of NBA Draft picks in the early 2000s. From 2002-2006, Illinois produced four first-round draft picks — highlighted by Deron Williams going No. 3 overall in the 2005 NBA Draft — as well as three second-round draft picks during that run.
But from 2007 to 2020, Illinois went through a drought of next-level talent. Meyers Leonard was the only Illini drafted, going No. 11 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, for that 14-year stretch. Unsurprisingly, that coincided with a down decade-plus of Illinois basketball that included just four NCAA Tournament appearances in a 13-year span.
But Illinois once again is becoming a burgeoning NBA factory under ninth-year head coach Brad Underwood. Starting with Ayo Dosunmu (No. 38 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft), the Illini have had four NBA Draft picks during the last five years, including three first-round draft picks in the last two years: Terrence Shannon Jr. (No. 27 in 2024), Kasparas Jakucionis (No. 20 in 2025) and Will Riley (No. 21 in 2024).
And wouldn't you know, that's coincided with on-court success that includes a conference-leading 81 Big Ten wins during the last six seasons, three Big Ten title banners (one regular season, two conference tournaments) and five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2024 Elite Eight run.
For Gill — a Chicago Bulls pre- and post-game analyst on Chicago Sports Network — the Illini's growing NBA presence is a point of pride.
"It's great because now we get talked about as a destination for top-level players all around the country," Gill told Illini Inquirer at his 36th annual golf outing to benefit Cunningham Children's Home. "We went through a period of time after 2005 where we weren't getting NBA-caliber players. Our program was not considered one of the top programs in the country, but now it is when you can get players like Andrej Stojakovic, Will Riley, Kasparas Jakucionis, Terrence Shannon Jr. to come to your program, Ayo Dosunmu, which are top-level NBA guys. That lets you know right there that your program is one of the tops in the country."
Jakucionis and Riley so far are the peak of NBA development for the Illini. While both came into Illinois as NBA prospects, both — through ups and downs typical of freshmen — proved themselves as NBA first-round picks in their one season as Illini stars. Jakucionis (15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists) and Riley (12. 6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists) were the first one-and-done draft picks in the program's history, and they were the first pair of Illini to go in the first round of the same draft since Williams and Luther Head (No. 24 overall in 2005) led Illinois to the national championship game two decades ago.
Gill was surprised to see Jakucionis, who earned All-Big Ten Third Team honors as a freshman, slip out of the back of the lottery. But he thinks the Miami Heat got immense value at pick No. 20 and he thinks Jakucionis went into one of the best possible situations for his long-term career. Gill sees some development time ahead for Jakucionis, who had some late-season shooting and turnover struggles, but thinks he can be an impact player in the NBA for more than a decade.
"I think that the Miami Heat got a great bargain at 20 because KJ was projected almost at the beginning of the season to be a top-five pick," Gill said. "Yeah, he went through some rough spots at the end of the season last year. However, you can't deny he's 6-6, you can't deny that he's a big strong kid, you can't deny that he plays the point guard position. That bodes well for him in his NBA career.
"Then he's going to the Miami Heat, a great organization. I played in that organization for one year, and I'm going to tell you they're going to develop KJ. I can't wait to see him in Year Two or Three, and he lines up alongside Tyler Herro playing the off guard position and Bam Adebayo and running pick and rolls with those guys. I know his shot will improve. A lot of people talk about, 'Well, he's turnover prone.' Well, he's just 18-19 years old. That is going to happen. He just got used to the American style of playing basketball. Now he's here for Year Two. I can't wait to see him in Year Three, and he's really adjusted to what the NBA is like and to what American basketball is all about."
Shannon didn't play a lot as a rookie, averaging 4.3 points in 32 games for a Minnesota Timberwolves team with one of the deepest backcourts in the NBA. But when Shannon did get opportunities, he proved himself as an impact NBA player. When the Timberwolves had injury issues, Shannon averaged 13.7 points on 51.4% shooting during a seven-game stretch in February. Then during the final three games of the Western Conference Finals, Shannon averaged 11.7 points on 52.6% shooting in 12.3 minutes per game.
Now that top Timberwolves bench guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has signed a big contract with the Atlanta Hawks, Shannon is expected to play a big rotational role for the Western Conference contender next season. Gill thinks he'll make the most of it.
"I thought he did a great job," Gill said. "He had an opportunity to play in the G League, so he got some experience, and he had an opportunity to play in the top level in the playoffs where he did a fabulous job. I think in Year Two, you're going to see him absolutely explode because he had to pay his dues first. He had to pay his dues in his first year. He's already doing it. He had a great play in the summer league the other day where he took it coast to coast. That's typical Terrance Shannon Jr. But I expect him to be in Minnesota's rotation this year. Who knows? Maybe he averages double figures."
With his Bulls analyst job, Gill has had an up-close view of Dosunmu's successful NBA career. A second-round steal of the Bulls, Dosunmu has proven himself as a two-way impact rotational guard in his hometown, averaging 10.2 points on 50.2% shooting (36.1% three) during his first four NBA seasons, though Dosunmu's 2024-25 season was cut short due to a shoulder injury.
Since then, Dosunmu — who is a free agent next summer — has been the subject of trade rumors for a Bulls team that is still looking for a clear trajectory moving forward and a muddled backcourt. Gill understands why Dosunmu would be desired by other teams, but the 20th century Illini great hopes the Bulls keep the 21st century Illini great in Chicago.
"I'm hoping Ayo stays in Chicago, but Ayo is a great player in this league," Gill said. "I've heard that he's had a lot of interest, garnered a lot of interest in the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks, the Orlando Magic. They all want a guy like Ayo to be in their rotation. The Bulls have a glut at the point guard position where Ayo plays. So if the Bulls traded Ayo, I wouldn't be surprised because of the log jam that they have at the position. But I would trade somebody else. I wouldn't trade Ayo because he's 6-5, he brings defense, he brings offense, he improves every year, he's got a high basketball IQ and he's one of our own. So hopefully the Bulls front office considers all the things that I just told you."
The Illini's NBA pipeline doesn't look like it'll run dry either. Underwood continues to recruit NBA prospects to his program from Europe and the transfer portal, and his NBA development has helped get Illinois into more five-star battles for prep prospects.
ESPN recently included three Illini on its way-too-early 2026 NBA Draft big board: No. 45 Andrej Stojakovic, No. 48 Tomislav Ivisic and No. 60 Zvonimir Ivisic. Tomislav Ivisic may have the highest floor of any prospect on the Illini as the 7-foot Croatian stretch big man is listed at No. 35 in The Athletic's way-too-early mock draft after an All-Big Ten first season in the U.S.
But Gill is really high on Stojakovic, whom Gill got to know while his son, Phoenix — who signed with Northwestern — was being recruited by Stanford, where Stojakovic played as a freshman before transferring to Cal as a sophomore. Gill thinks the former McDonald's All-American and 6-foot-7 wing — who is the son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic and led Cal with 17.9 points last season — has clear NBA talent.
"I think it's Andrej …I think he's a pro, whether that be this year or the following year, that remains to be seen," Gill said. "But in my opinion, Andrej is the best player that they've had here in the last two or three years aside from Shannon. He just has all the intangibles. He can handle the basketball. He's 6-foot-7. He's an above-average athlete, even though you don't see it. He can shoot the basketball, I wouldn't be surprised if he's All-Big Ten."