Why Cade Cunningham is big winner from All-NBA selections

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) runs back up the court against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Why Pistons' Cade Cunningham is big winner from All-NBA selections

By Adam Gretz | Last updated May 23, 2025 8:40 PM ET

The All-NBA teams were announced on Friday, and there were a lot of the expected players on the lists, including Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver's Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo. One of the biggest winners of the day, however, was Detroit Pistons young star Cade Cunningham.

Cunningham was a third-team All-NBA selection, earning that honor for the first time in his career.

It not only cemented his status among the game's best players, it also earned him a significant pay raise.

Cunningham gets a $45 million raise as part of the contract extension he signed a year ago due to a clause in the league’s collective bargaining agreement that raises how much a “max contract extension” is worth a player is selected to the All-NBA teams, wins MVP, or the defensive player of the year award.

For Cunningham, it takes the value of his contract from $224 million to $269 million.

The biggest winner from today's All-NBA selections?

Cade Cunningham.

He will earn a $45 million raise for his All-NBA nod. pic.twitter.com/BjEzZUSAgy
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) May 23, 2025

Cleveland's Evan Mobley earned a similar bonus for winning the league's defensive player of the year award.

Cunningham was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and has rapidly become the cornerstone of a Pistons roster that is one of the best young teams in the league. They made the playoffs this season after missing the postseason in each of the previous five seasons. They went from 14 wins to 44 wins in just one season.

The complete list of the All-NBA teams is as follows:

First team: Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.

Second team: Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.

Third team: Thunder guard Jalen Williams, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, LA Clippers guard James Harden and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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