Cade Cunningham realizes how becoming a teenage dad shaped his NBA journey
The The Detroit Pistons were arguably the biggest surprise story in the NBA this year, currently leading the Eastern Conference at 11-2. Doc Cade Cunningham missed last few games due to injury, the team showed its depth in winning both without him, increasing its lead over the rest of the East in the process.
Recently, Cunningham was in a meeting room with Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant and shared how his high school daughter helped shape his path to the NBA.
“It’s crazy. I didn’t know that until you were drafted, and you go through all that your junior and senior year. I never would have known. You walk in here like a grown man and that’s why we respect you,” Durant said.
“It’s going to make you grow up,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham he also spoke further how it helped his teenage daughter make her college decision.
“My family was so supportive. Whenever all these things happened, they were like, ‘You begged to go, now go. We’ve got Riley, go ahead.’ Going through college they were the same. They were just like, ‘We have your daughter.’ that I really had the option to go anywhere,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham completed one year at Oklahoma State University before becoming the number one overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Since then, he has led the Pistons through some tumultuous times, including a record 28-game losing streak during the 2023-24 season, before making the playoffs for the first time last year and now appears to be a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons will next take the floor on Monday night against the Indiana Pacers.
2025-11-17 18:44:00
