Pistons’ Cade Cunningham thanks NBA for honors eligibility: ‘It’s a blessing’

The NBA pulled off a stunning decision by granting the Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge exception for Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham for regular season awards. After falling short of the league’s 65-game rule by one game, the NBA decided to bypass the rule, making Cunningham and Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic eligible for 2025-26 awards this season.

The Pistons are currently practicing and ramping up for their postseason run, which starts this weekend. Cunningham spoke to the media at the team’s practice facility for the first time since the exception was granted. It was clear he was in full support of the league’s ruling.

“I thought it was awesome, man. I was excited about it. It’s a blessing. I’m thankful to the NBA and NPA for looking at my case and viewing it that way to make me eligible,” Cunningham stated after Pistons’ practice. “It means a lot to me and my family. I think I’ll appreciate it more down the road once my career is done. I still know it’s a big honor right now.”

Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung back in March in the first quarter against the Washington Wizards. Cunningham dove for a loose ball in one of the opening possessions of the game when a Wizard landed hard on his back to cause the injury. He was forced to miss several weeks, which put his NBA award eligibility in serious jeopardy.

Detroit’s franchise player returned for the final three games of the regular season. That totaled his number of games played at 64 for the Pistons. Cunningham confirmed his agent and others in his circle worked with the league to issue the exception and review his circumstances. The NBA ended up ruling in favor to keep Cunningham in proper consideration for the awards he was challenging for.

The Pistons clinched the No. 1 seed of the Eastern Conference with a 60-22 record. Cunningham put together another All-Star campaign, leading his team by averaging 23.9 points and 9.9 assists per game. He was a major contributor to the team’s success and was hopeful it was enough for the league to reconsider his award eligibility.

“Obviously, I felt like I did enough to earn being in the All-NBA team,” Cunningham explained. “It was a rule in place which stood in the way of that. I thought I missed it by something I deemed something that didn’t allow me to get in. I think the league thought the same thing. I’m grateful they allowed me to be in.”

Cunningham has a strong claim for first-team All-NBA after the season he put together. He was also heavy in the MVP race before suffering his injury back in March. The regular season awards are normally announced during the playoffs.

Detroit is waiting to see who they will face in its first-round playoff matchup. The final Eastern Conference Play-In matchup tips off tonight between the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Hornets. The Pistons will hold home court advantage when that series begins and throughout the rest of the playoffs courtesy of their No. 1 seed honors.

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