Cade Cunningham to Become First Former Cowboy in NBA 3-Point Contest
In this story:
NBA All-Star weekend will feature a heavy dose of a former Oklahoma State standout.
On Friday, the NBA announced the field for the 2025 3-point contest. Among the eight competitors in the field, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham made the cut.
Cunningham will become the first OSU player to compete in the NBA 3-point contest and is making his second appearance on All-Star Saturday night after being featured in the Skills Challenge in 2022. Before Cunningham’s appearances, no Cowboy had been featured on All-Star Saturday night since Desmond Mason was in the dunk contest three times from 2001-03, winning the contest in 2001.
While Cunningham came up short in the Skills Challenge in 2022 as part of the rookies team, he will be flying solo this time around. Cunningham will compete against fellow 2025 All-Stars Jalen Brunson, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro and Damian Lillard, with Buddy Hield, Cam Johnson and Norman Powell also competing.
Cunningham has the worst odds to win the competition, according to Fansduel Sportsbook at +1300. Meanwhile, Hield, a former Oklahoma Sooner and one-time 3-point contest champion, is second at +460 behind only Damian Lillard at +400.
Cunningham’s spot in the odds is unsurprising, particularly considering the small shock that he was even included in the contest. This season, Cunningham is shooting 6.4 threes per game, which puts him in the top 40 in attempts, but his 35.4% mark from deep is outside the top 100, below league average and easily the worst percentage among participants.
Still, if Cunningham can find a rhythm from beyond the arc, he could be in for a special night and be the first Cowboy to win an All-Star event since 2001. Regardless of his performance on Saturday, it will still be a special weekend for Cunningham, who is set to appear in his first All-Star game.
Playing on Team Kenny, Cunningham will get his first taste of the All-Star Game in his fourth season. While Cunningham might not necessarily be the best shooter, his all-around game is enough to get him some well-deserved national recognition.
Cunningham will compete in the 3-point contest on Feb. 15, with the All-Star Game on Feb. 16.
Want to join the discussion? Like Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.