Cade Cunningham only played one year for Oklahoma State, but he continues to have an impact in the NBA.
The former Cowboys star was selected All-NBA First Team on Monday, the second straight year he’s been named All-NBA. Last year he was selected to the third team.
He helped the Detroit Pistons win 60 games, which was the best record in the Eastern Conference, and a trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He averaged 23.9 points, a career-high 9.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game and became the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 23 points, nine assists, and five rebounds in a season.
Because he’s a former Cowboy, that’s a piece of currency current head coach Steve Lutz can use on the recruiting trail this summer and beyond.
Cunningham only played at OSU for one year, as he was recruited heavily by then-head coach Mike Boynton Jr. Landing Cunningham changed the trajectory of the program for one year. The Cowboys made their only NCAA Tournament appearance under Boynton. Cunningham was named Big 12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year along with being named a consensus first-team all-American. That made Detroit’s decision an easy one with the No. 1 overall pick.
So how does that help Lutz as he continues to build up the program entering his third season? For one, he has an easy place to point to and show recruits that they can get to the NBA from Oklahoma State. The program has a long and storied tradition and Cunningham’s selection to the NBA, and his success, are just another example of what Cowboys basketball is about.
For another, money talks. Lutz can point to Cunningham’s current contract — a five-year, $269 million designated rookie extension that started this past season as an example of how that hard work, dating back to youth basketball, pays off.
Lutz has lured one of the best recruiting classes in the country for the 2026-27 athletic year, one that includes McDonald’s All-America forward Latrell Allmond along with two other four-star recruits. The class is considered a Top 10 class by every major recruiting service.
Some, like Allmond, could start as freshman as Cunningham did several seasons ago. They could also become NBA success stories like Cunningham. They could become the next link in a chain that Cunningham reinforced and helps Lutz and his staff recruit the next wave of Cowboys for the Class of 2027.
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