He Was Supposed To Be A QB, Instead He Became An NBA Superstar

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
Cade Cunningham was supposed to be an NFL quarterback, not an NBA point guard. When he was 13, Cade practiced with the Dallas Cowboys, and despite being a kid, the Cowboys players were impressed with his poise and accuracy. Cunningham's father was a high-level quarterback prospect, and Cade inherited all the tools to become even better and play in the NFL. But after the ninth grade, he quit and followed his dream of playing in the NBA. And after years of playing QB, Cunningham had the vision and passing ability to thrive as a point guard. However, at the age of 17, Cade nearly quit basketball too. After the deaths of close family members and the birth of his daughter, Cade wanted to stop playing in order to provide for his child. You really, you was begging us to go out there and do your thing hooping. I'm thinking, I got to go back to the crib now for you to have.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:45)
Hooping is done for me.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:46)
You thought she was done? I thought it was done, bro.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:48)
Thankfully, Cade continued playing, elevating his game year after year until he became the first pick in the 2021 NBA draft. However, the start of his career was a complete nightmare. Even though Cade averaged 20 points and 6.5 assists across his first three seasons, the Pistons were a disaster, winning just 20 percent of their games. In fact, in 2024, Detroit even set an NBA record for the longest losing streak of all time.
But just two years later, they are the number one seed in the East with Cade playing at an MVP level, breaking records and dominating on both ends of the court.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:23)
Cunningham gets the ball, it gets bam, pulls up for the win, got it.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:27)
This is the story of Cade Cunningham and how a kid who seemed destined to be a quarterback, surprisingly switched sports and became the first overall pick and one of the best players in the NBA. Cade Cunningham's sports career began with his father, Keith Cunningham. Keith was among the country's top quarterback recruits in the mid 1980s, receiving a full scholarship from Texas Tech and was destined for an NFL career. But after he was helping his mother rearrange some furniture, a ceiling fan fell and sliced his forearm, damaging the tendons. Keith never regained the same arm strength and precision, so his football career was over before it really ever began. But Keith's genetics, work ethic, and love of sports were passed down to his two sons, Cannon and Cade. And while Cannon started playing basketball early on, an eight-year younger Cade followed in his father's footsteps and was showing great potential for a future NFL quarterback. In the seventh and eighth grade, Cade led his team to undefeated seasons. With an innate vision and sense of anticipation, and the understanding of individual and team success. But there were two big problems. The first was that Cade loved playing basketball and looked up to his older brother, who was a starting power forward for Southern Methodist University. And the second one was that he didn't like high temperatures. I just didn't have the passion for it. Practicing in the hot Texas sun in August? That wasn't really for me. In the ninth grade, Cade gave up football and started playing basketball exclusively, aiming to become even better than his brother, who was always beating him one on one. Now, Cade started playing basketball at an early age, but he first started playing organized basketball in the fourth grade. So when he made the full switch to the hardwood, Cade was already a few inches above six feet. And thanks to his football background, he developed leadership skills and vision on the basketball court. Cade also wasn't scared to get hit. He never shied away from contact, starting his high school career as a power forward like his brother. He became just the second freshman to join the Bowie High Varsity team in two decades, but there was a problem. See, a doctor told Cade that he would only grow to 6'6 or 6'7, so he wouldn't be able to play power forward in the NBA, which was his ultimate goal. So, Cade started working out with his brother, Cannon, and cousin Ashton Bennings, to make the full time switch to point guard, and they all thought Cade could dominate the position due to his size. However, it wasn't easy at first. Cade had to get used to smaller guards constantly trying to pick his pocket and learn how to run an offense, but he had a knack for taking control. Even back in elementary and middle school, when a game was tight, the ball was passed to Cade. It was Cunningham who set up the team, who made the others better and more confident. He was a quiet kid who barely talked. However, the ball and his teammates just gravitated toward him. During the summer before his junior year, all Cade did was eat, sleep, and play basketball. He learned how to use his larger frame to get to his spots, and he spent countless hours mastering the pick and roll. I got more pick and roll reps than anybody in the country in that one summer. It allowed me to get a crazy feel for different situations and how I could make stuff work. To speed up his development, Cade and his family decided to have him transfer to the famous Montverde Academy in Florida, which has produced many NBA players. However, when he got to Montverde, Cunningham had the toughest year of his life and nearly quit playing basketball. It wasn't because he wasn't good and couldn't keep up with better competition. Instead, in the summer of 2018, just weeks after Cade left his home in Arlington, Texas, he found out that his best friend, Kyson White, died unexpectedly at age 16