Cade Cunningham turns 25 on Friday, Sept. 25. His pre-25 career is as good as we have seen in a Pistons uniform, let alone in the NBA. His career got off to a rocky start, but Cunningham has established himself as one of the NBA’s best players, especially these past two seasons. There have been several memorable moments, and here are just a few of the best ones before the All-Star guard’s 25th birthday.
Since being drafted first overall, he’s been ‘All the way in’
When Cade Cunningham was drafted first overall in 2021, Pistons fans got excited in a hurry. It was their first No. 1 selection since Bob Lanier in 1970, and their first top-two pick since Darko Milicic in 2003. But the moment Cunningham looked into the camera and told the city “Detroit, I’m all the way in” in a draft-night video, he breathed life into a fanbase looking for any sign of it.
Cunningham’s first NBA action, against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 30, 2021, was a quiet affair offensively. He scored 2 points that night on 1-for-8 shooting. Those are not the performances that get fans out of their seats; offensive outbursts usually do that. But the first ovation-worthy moment of Cade’s career? A defensive stop and a dive for a loose ball. He showed from his first game that he was ready to play a Detroit brand of basketball.
Rising from the ashes and bringing playoff basketball back to Detroit
In Pistons land, Cade Cunningham’s second and third seasons operate under Fight Club rules: nobody around here would prefer to talk about them. Between the season-ending shin surgery in year two and the presence of Monty Williams in year three, things looked bleak for Detroit. It wasn’t that Cunningham was playing poorly, either. The surrounding pieces were so thin that his standout play almost didn’t matter.
Then came Trajan Langdon and J.B. Bickerstaff. With those two figures in Detroit’s leadership, Cunningham and the Pistons alike began to prosper. He made his first All-Star appearance and led the team to its first playoff berth since the Blake Griffin era. Cunningham even helped the Pistons get their first win in the playoffs since 2008. The following season? A 60-22 record, a first-team All-NBA appearance, and a 3-1 comeback against Orlando for Detroit’s first postseason series win in 18 years.
Cade Cunningham’s highlight reel is only getting started
Just five seasons into his NBA career, Cunningham has made some dazzling displays. One that immediately comes to mind is his poster dunk over Andre Drummond in Philadelphia on Nov. 9, 2025. Some metaphors just write themselves, and when the new face of the Pistons posterized the former one, it was certainly no exception.
Then there was his cross-up of Paolo Banchero during the Pistons’ first-round series win over Orlando in the 2026 playoffs. Another example of the iso scoring ability and his wizardry as a ball handler.
No play has met the magnitude of his game-winner in Miami versus the Heat on March 19, 2025, a banked 3-pointer over Bam Adebayo with 0.6 seconds left in a 116-113 win. ESPN had put the Pistons in the spotlight, and Cunningham showed a national audience why.
This is a small sample of a storied career that’s only just beginning. Pistons fans just hope that career stays in Detroit.
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