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Cade Cunningham Taken No. 1 Overall By Detroit Pistons
July 29, 2021 | Cowboy Basketball
BROOKLYN, New York – Oklahoma State All-American Cade Cunningham was taken with the No. 1 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, which made him the highest selection in Cowboy basketball history.
Cunningham was the 34th OSU player taken in the NBA Draft – the first since Jawun Evans went 39th in 2017 – and the program's 10th first-round selection. The Arlington, Texas native topped Bob Harris, the No. 3 selection by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the 1949 Draft, as the highest selection in program history.
What's more, Cunningham is just the second overall student-athlete in Oklahoma State history to be drafted No. 1 overall in their respective sport after football star Bob Fenimore in 1947.
A 6-8, 220 pound point guard, Cunningham entered Oklahoma State with lofty goals, and left Stillwater as the odds-on favorite to be the top pick in the Draft. The winner of the 2020 Naismith High School Player of the Year Trophy as the best prep player in the country, Cunningham became just the second Cowboy basketball player to earn Consensus First Team All-America honors, and the first since Bob Kurland in 1946.
Cunningham was named first team All-America selection by the Associated Press, USBWA, NABC, The Athletic and USA Today, and was also the Wayman Tisdale Award winner as the nation's top freshman.
The Arlington, Texas native was just the fourth player in league history to earn Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season after leading the conference with 20.2 points per game.
In fact, only two other players in all of college basketball over the last 20 seasons can match his stellar all-around stat line of 20+ points, 6+ rebounds, 3.5+ assists, 1.25+ steals, .75+ blocks – Marquette's Dwyane Wade (2002-03) and Ohio State's Evan Turner (2009-10).
Cunningham burst onto the national scene with a dominating 40-point performance at Oklahoma. It was the 10th-best scoring performance in college basketball in 2020-21, and the last OSU player to score more on the road was Randy Rutherford at Kansas in 1995. Cunningham also grabbed 11 boards for the first 40-10 game against an AP top-10 team since 2006.
Season tickets for the 2021-22 season of Cowboy basketball are on sale now and start at just $150. This year, OSU is offering 20 percent discounts to those who purchase four or more 300-level season tickets. Visit okstate.com/tickets or call 877-ALL-4-OSU to purchase tickets or for more information.
Oklahoma State NBA Draft First-Round Selections
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons – 2021, 1st
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics – 2016, 6th
James Anderson, San Antonio Spurs – 2010, 20th
Joey Graham, Toronto Raptors – 2005, 16th
Tony Allen, Boston Celtics – 2004, 27th
Desmond Mason, Seattle SuperSonics – 2007, 17th
Bryant Reeves, Vancouver Grizzlies – 1995, 6th
Brooks Thompson, Orlando Magic – 1994, 27th
Byron Houston, Chicago Bulls – 1992, 27th
Bob Harris, Fort Wayne Piston – 1949, 3rd
Cunningham was the 34th OSU player taken in the NBA Draft – the first since Jawun Evans went 39th in 2017 – and the program's 10th first-round selection. The Arlington, Texas native topped Bob Harris, the No. 3 selection by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the 1949 Draft, as the highest selection in program history.
What's more, Cunningham is just the second overall student-athlete in Oklahoma State history to be drafted No. 1 overall in their respective sport after football star Bob Fenimore in 1947.
A 6-8, 220 pound point guard, Cunningham entered Oklahoma State with lofty goals, and left Stillwater as the odds-on favorite to be the top pick in the Draft. The winner of the 2020 Naismith High School Player of the Year Trophy as the best prep player in the country, Cunningham became just the second Cowboy basketball player to earn Consensus First Team All-America honors, and the first since Bob Kurland in 1946.
Cunningham was named first team All-America selection by the Associated Press, USBWA, NABC, The Athletic and USA Today, and was also the Wayman Tisdale Award winner as the nation's top freshman.
The Arlington, Texas native was just the fourth player in league history to earn Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season after leading the conference with 20.2 points per game.
In fact, only two other players in all of college basketball over the last 20 seasons can match his stellar all-around stat line of 20+ points, 6+ rebounds, 3.5+ assists, 1.25+ steals, .75+ blocks – Marquette's Dwyane Wade (2002-03) and Ohio State's Evan Turner (2009-10).
Cunningham burst onto the national scene with a dominating 40-point performance at Oklahoma. It was the 10th-best scoring performance in college basketball in 2020-21, and the last OSU player to score more on the road was Randy Rutherford at Kansas in 1995. Cunningham also grabbed 11 boards for the first 40-10 game against an AP top-10 team since 2006.
Season tickets for the 2021-22 season of Cowboy basketball are on sale now and start at just $150. This year, OSU is offering 20 percent discounts to those who purchase four or more 300-level season tickets. Visit okstate.com/tickets or call 877-ALL-4-OSU to purchase tickets or for more information.
Oklahoma State NBA Draft First-Round Selections
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons – 2021, 1st
Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics – 2016, 6th
James Anderson, San Antonio Spurs – 2010, 20th
Joey Graham, Toronto Raptors – 2005, 16th
Tony Allen, Boston Celtics – 2004, 27th
Desmond Mason, Seattle SuperSonics – 2007, 17th
Bryant Reeves, Vancouver Grizzlies – 1995, 6th
Brooks Thompson, Orlando Magic – 1994, 27th
Byron Houston, Chicago Bulls – 1992, 27th
Bob Harris, Fort Wayne Piston – 1949, 3rd