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Cade Cunningham's Honest Statement on 3-Point Contest Challenges

Cade Cunningham explained the challenges of the NBA 3-Point Contest.
Justin Grasso|
Jan 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots the ball in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Jan 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots the ball in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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Detroit Pistons

Saturday night’s NBA All-Star Weekend events didn’t go the way the Detroit Pistons had hoped. With Cade Cunningham representing the team on the 3-Point Contest stage, the Pistons were hoping he could pull off the upset and bring the hardware back to Michigan.

Instead, the trophy is heading back to South Beach with Miami Heat All-Star Tyler Herro.

Getting used to rapid-fire shooting from beyond the arc turned out to be a challenge for Cunningham. While he wasn’t at the bottom of the ranks after the first round, he wasn’t one of three players that advanced.

“I think just the mechanics of grabbing off the rack and shooting is the most difficult thing,” Cunningham told reporters on Saturday.

“Being out there by myself wasn’t really, that wasn’t what it was, I think it was more running around the racks and grabbing off the racks. I think that’s the main thing that’s difficult.”

Cunningham finished with 16 points in the contest. Brooklyn Nets’ Cam Johnson and Los Angeles Clippers’ Norman Powell were the only two to score worse, tying up at 14 points.

The players who ranked higher than Cunningham but still found themselves eliminated were New York’s Jalen Brunson and Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard. The two veteran All-Stars scored 18 points.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland, Golden State Warriors’ Buddy Hield, and Herro were the three to go to the final round. Hield had a major first-round showing, scoring a contest-high 31 points. In the second round, he scored 23, trailing Herro by one point. As for Garland, his 19 points gave him third place in the final round.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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