Drummond still roots for Detroit. He was part of the most recent Pistons team to reach the playoffs in 2018-19, and he has said he wants to someday retire in Detroit.
"This is amazing to see Detroit win. People actually look at me crazy for posting or liking stuff in Detroit, but it''s, like, Detroit''s my home," Drummond told ESPN. "To see the success of the city of what''s going with the team, I almost feel like I''m a part of it even though I don''t play for the team."
St. Brown, a fourth-round selection in the 2021 NFL draft, also relates to Cunningham''s rise. The Lions have ascended from a 3-13-1 season in 2021 to a record-setting 15-win season in 2024.
"Obviously, it''s different sports but we''ve kind of had the same journey, in terms of just team success. I feel like I know exactly how it feels," St. Brown said.
"I''m glad to watch it and to be able to sit back and to see them come from really nothing to being a solid team right now. I see myself and the Lions in them a lot."
It didn''t take long for Cunningham to win over the long-frustrated Detroit fan base. On draft night, he broke out a pair of Cartier sunglasses, known around town as "Buffs," which is an iconic fashion piece in the city.
He learned about the city''s culture through popular rappers like 42 Dugg, Sada Baby and Babyface Ray, as well as the underground movie scene and through the Tubi TV show McGraw Ave. When the league announced that Cunningham was named to his first NBA All-Star game in January, 42 Dugg was one of the first to share the news.
"I feel like Cade fits more into the culture with all of us being young and up and coming," 42 Dugg said. "He fits more into us. We''ve seen Cade out a few times. He gives us more of something to root for. We''re all behind Cade."
All times Eastern
Cunningham has nine triple-doubles this season, third-most in Pistons history behind NBA legend Grant Hill, who posted 13 in 1996-97 and 10 in 1995-96.
No other player in Pistons history has ever had five in a season.
Cunningham''s style has often been compared to Hill''s before injuries robbed him of peak.
Hill, the managing director of the USA men''s national team, doesn''t mind hearing his name attached to a rising star such as Cunningham, who he sees as a strong candidate for the FIBA World Cup and Olympics during the next cycle.
"I think there''s some similarities in terms of trying to just control the game and trying to have an impact on the game in a number of different ways," Hill told ESPN.
"He thinks the game at a very high level, and he''s got just this incredible feel and incredible basketball instincts, and I do feel like those were some of the similarities that we brought to the game."
ASK THOSE AROUND Cunningham for an underrated quality of his game, and the response is nearly universal. It''s the leadership he provided when the losses mounted, and now, too, when the wins are doing the same.
"Very rarely do you find a guy who can grow and develop and not leave people behind," said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff ahead of Detroit''s 123-103 win over Washington on March 11. "Cade has the uncanny ability to not only take care of himself and do what''s best for his development and growth, but he makes sure that his teammates are always right alongside, and giving them the same opportunities that he''s getting."
Consider: Cunningham has the third-most points created this season on drives (1,162), behind MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, according to Second Spectrum.
And he has assisted on 75 3-pointers to teammate Malik Beasley and 84 dunks to Pistons center Jalen Duren, both the most in the NBA respectively by any passer-shooter combo, per Second Spectrum.