Detroit Pistons Star Cade Cunningham Still Eligible for NBA Awards Under New Ruling

Detroit Pistons fans have gotten their wish after all, as Cade Cunningham is one of two players now eligible for the 2025-26 NBA Awards.

Apr 12, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) in the first half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Detroit Pistons fans have gotten their wish for Cade Cunningham being awarded for his performance during the 2025-26 NBA regular season.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the NBA and NBPA have ruled in favor of Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic and Pistons leading scorer Cade Cunningham on their extraordinary circumstances challenge for the 65-game award rule. This makes both Doncic and Cunningham eligible for all 2025-26 season honors, including MVP and All-NBA teams. 

Cunningham, who recently returned from his collapsed lung diagnosis that forced him to miss 11 games, was originally not eligible to receive season honors as he didn’t play in the 65 games required to qualify for the awards.

Why Rule In Favor of Cunningham Was Right Decision By NBA

Mar 17, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) looks on during first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

This rule is great news for the Pistons, as despite playing in 64 regular-season games, Cunningham played a major role in helping Detroit secure the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, finishing with a 60-22 overall record. While not the top choice to win the NBA MVP, Cunningham is well deserving of an All-NBA team recognition for his performance this season.  

During the regular season, Cunningham led the Pistons in scoring, averaging 23.9 points, 9.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game. Cunningham’s 9.9 assists were the second most in the NBA during the regular season, only behind Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who averaged 10.7 per game. 

Cunningham and the Pistons enter the playoffs as one of three NBA teams with 60 wins, the other two being the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. It’s hard to believe that the Pistons enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and are among the teams with the best shot to win the NBA championship, given where the franchise was just two short years ago. 

Cunningham, who was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma State, has taken the Pistons from their worst season in franchise history to competing for their first NBA championship since 2004 just two years later. 

This remarkable turnaround is one of the many reasons why the decision to make Cunningham eligible for the 2025-26 NBA awards was the right one. Cunningham and the Pistons are scheduled to open up the playoffs on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena against the winner of Friday’s NBA play-in matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic. The tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET with the game broadcast on NBC.