Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham
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Cade Cunningham put together dominant 42-point outing in Pistons' latest victory over the Knicks.
Coming off a career year last season, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham continues to cement himself as a superstar in the NBA. His latest dominant outing was so impressive that it has people comparing him to some of the sport’s all-time greats.
On February 19th, the Pistons took the floor at Madison Square Garden in their first game out of the All-Star break. The New York Knicks are a team they’ve had great success against in 2026, and this matchup proved to be no different.
Despite being without the services of All-Star big man Jalen Duren, the Pistons still managed to walk out with a 126-111 victory. Cunningham played a large part in the victory, putting together one of his most dominant outings of the season. The 24-year-old went on to end the night with 42 points, eight rebounds, and 13 assists.
Aside from his longtime work covering the NBA as a reporter and TV analyst, Stephen A. Smith is most known for his avid support of the Knicks. He was far from pleased with how this game unfolded, but was still able to give Cunningham his flowers. Stephen A. was so impressed with the Pistons star that he put him in the same breath with the likes of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
“Cade Cunningham looked like Kobe last night,” Stephen A. said. “Cade Cunningham looked like LeBron last night. Cade Cunningham looked like Jordan last night. At the Garden.”
First Take
.@stephenasmith saw some familiar traits in Cade Cunningham last night after he went off for 42 pts and 13 assists 👀
Former NBA All-Star Names Cade Cunningham as MVP Frontrunner
Between the Pistons expanding their lead in first place in the Eastern Conference and Cunningham showing out in such an iconic venue, the emerging superstar has gotten a lot of MVP buzz as of late. Many people in and around the league have started making a case for him, with one former All-Star placing atop his list of favorites.
During the February 20th installment of FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” show, DeMarcus Cousins weighed in on the MVP debate this season. He singled out two players, those being Cunningham and Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.
“For me,” Cousins said. “First and second is Cade then Jaylen Brown, then it’s everybody else. That’s just my opinion.”
Cunningham has put together a strong case, carrying the Pistons to the top spot in the East for the majority of this season. On top of this, he’s posting impressive averages of 25.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 9.7 APG. As long as he maintains this pace the rest of the way, Cunningham is sure to wind up on a lot of voters’ ballots.
Cade Cunningham Gives Blunt Take on MVP Discussion
One person who feels there isn’t an MVP debate is Cunningham himself. Fresh off dubbing himself the best American player in the league, he went out and backed it up with a near 42-point triple-double against the Knicks.
While speaking with ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill after his showing against the Knicks, he made another strong proclamation by dubbing himself the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this year.
“I think I am [MVP],” Cunningham told ESPN. “And if you don’t agree with me, that’s your opinion.”
With roughly six weeks to go in the season, Cunningham will look to continue convincing the basketball world he is worthy of such an accolade.