Detroit Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham is fourth in the Eastern Conference in the first fan returns for the NBA All-Star voting. Cunningham is looking to make his second consecutive All-Star appearance.
He received 1,000,171 of the fan votes. Last year Cunningham became the first Piston to be selected for the All-Star Game since Blake Griffin during the 2018-19 season.
The 2026 All-Star Game will be hosted at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, where the Los Angeles Clippers play their home games.
Cade Cunningham, Top 5 in All-Star Voting
Cunningham finds himself in the top five in the Eastern Conference for the first fan returns voting. Giannis Antetokounmpo has the top spot, Tyrese Maxey is second, Jalen Brunson is third, and Donovan Mitchell is fifth.
This year fans will join NBA players and a media panel in selecting five players from each conference as starters. Cunningham could potentially be one of those five players and become a starter in just his second All-Star appearance.
In his first All-Star appearance, Cunningham scored five points hitting one three-pointer in about five minutes of work. Last year, the NBA presented a new format for the All-Star Game. Four teams competed in a mini-tournament event that featured eight to nine players on each team.
While he didn’t see much action, Cunningham made the most of his time out there on the floor competing with the best players in the league.
This year, there will be a new format to the All-Star Game. There will be two teams featuring U.S. players and one team featuring international players. The three teams will play in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games.
Cade Cunningham Deserves to Make His Second All-Star Game
It’s no surprise that fans have noticed what Cunningham is doing on the court and the impact he’s had on the Pistons. Cunningham is coming off the best season of his career and so far, he’s followed that up with an even better season.
Through 29 games, he’s top-15 in the league in scoring at 26.5 points per game and is second in assists with 9.6. He’s taking his game to another level and has help turn Detroit into a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference.
Not only did Cunningham make his first All-Star team last year, he was named to his first All-NBA team. This year, he’s been in numerous conversations for the MVP award and if he were to win the award, he would be the first Piston to win the award in franchise history.
The Pistons selected Cunningham with the first overall pick in 2021 looking for someone to help turn the franchise back into a winning program, and he’s done just that. It’s been a roller coaster journey for Cunningham during his time in Detroit. He’s been a part of the struggles and the success.
His hard work and dedication is paying off and his basketball talents are being recognized by many across the league. Come February, Cunningham could be on the court with some of the best players in the league for the second year in a row.
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