A Cade Christmas: Cunningham gives back to Detroit youth
After winning back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, Pistons guard Cade Cunningham spent his Sunday giving back to his community.
"This is special," said Cunningham. "This is the cool part about doing what I get to do."
Cunningham hosted "A Cade Christmas" in Detroit, providing holiday support, including a fully catered meal, brand new bicycles for every child, free gift-wrapping stations, along with grocery and gas cards for parents.
"You know, being in their shoes at one point, I always appreciated when people came back to talk to me or just getting to see people that I looked up to or admired," said Cunningham.
"They don't get to experience this," attendee Kalaundra Hall said. "How often do they get to meet an NBA athlete? How often do they get to come out into the community? Some kids might not even be experiencing a Christmas, but they got to come here and get some things."
Cade says that giving back to his community is something that has always been a priority.
"As a kid, I thought like once I make it one day, that is something I would love to do, so to be in those shoes now and to be real is still surreal," said Cunningham. "Through the ups and downs, I've always had so much support being in Detroit. So being able to give back and support neighborhoods and communities around here means a lot."
The kids seemed excited to interact with Cade and many showed their support by wearing his jersey.
"I think seeing them wear my jersey is some of the coolest things I could see," said Cunningham.
The event was hosted in partnership with Give Merit, a Detroit-based youth organization that provides educational access and mentorship to underserved students.
"I think it's super important for our students in the community to see someone who looks like them," said Hall. "To see someone who can identify with them giving back. They need to see that. This month, we're talking about generosity so to have these kids understand what that is, is amazing."
"I've been able to make money playing the game that I love and so to be able to put some of that back into helping some of the communities that support me, it's special," Cunningham said. "So, I'm going to keep on doing that as long as I can play."
Cade and the Pistons return to the court on Friday when Detroit hosts Atlanta at 7:00 pm.