One of Oklahoma State’s former stars is in a tough situation as the NBA season nears its end.
As the NBA season nears its end, the media will soon be voting on awards and accolades for 2025-26. Despite being undeniably one of the top players in the league this season, former OSU guard Cade Cunningham now appears unlikely to find his name on any end-of-season ballots.
Due to the league’s player participation rule that requires players to play in at least 65 games to qualify for end-of-season awards, Cunningham is in severe danger of missing out. Sitting at 61 games played with only seven games left in the Pistons’ season, Cunningham’s collapsed lung recovery will almost certainly end his hopes of another All-NBA selection.
Although Cunningham wasn’t at the top of the MVP race, he was clearly headed for another All-NBA selection, with a real shot at first-team honors, given that he’s led the Pistons to the best record in the Eastern Conference. Instead, a freak accident on the floor in mid-March could soon cost Cunningham honors he was a lock to receive.
With the NBPA pushing for the 65-game threshold to be eliminated because of cases like Cunningham’s, there’s a chance that there could be some changes in the coming years. However, any future changes won’t do anything to help Cunningham this season.
After finishing All-NBA third team last season, Cunningham has been just as impressive in his fifth year in the league, averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists and 1.5 steals. Securing his second straight All-Star selection earlier this year, Cunningham has already had arguably the best NBA career of any player to play his college ball in Stillwater.
While Cunningham will likely miss out on NBA accolades this year, his performance in the league has been great for OSU. As the Cowboys look to have a resurgence on the court in the near future, it only helps to have one of the best players in the world repping OSU as his alma mater.
As the Cowboys look to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Cunningham led the program in 2021, OSU can at least enjoy the show its former star puts on in Detroit on a nightly basis. With the playoffs just around the corner, Cunningham and the Pistons could be ready for a deep run, and everyone in Stillwater is sure to be tuned in.