Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons has been playing some pretty outstanding basketball in his debut season. So much so, that the 20-year-old's strong play has allowed him to close in on the likes of Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes as the top contenders for this season's Rookie of the Year award.
In a recent interview with Jason Dumas of Bleacher Report, however, the Pistons' first overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft also talked about his previous success as a football quarterback. The conversation eventually led to a question about who in the NBA Cunningham thinks would be able to score a touchdown in the NFL today. In response, Cade immediately named the Lakers duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis:
“I'm sure LeBron could have in his day. Anthony Davis,” Cunningham said. “Saddiq Bey would probably score some touchdowns. If I was his quarterback, I would get him the ball in the end zone. I'm sure there's a bunch of guys who can score.”
I can't say I disagree with the Pistons rookie here. LeBron, despite being 37 years old, still remains to be a physical specimen. The four-time NBA MVP also played some football in his younger years and it wouldn't be surprising if he is able to find success in the NFL today. To some extent, the same can be said of Anthony Davis, although injuries could be more of a problem for him in the highly-physical nature of the NFL.
For his part, though, I also think that Cade Cunningham would have been quite a stud on the pitch if he decided to take the football path. Much like LeBron, the Pistons youngster was actually a highly-touted football player before he chose to pursue a career in basketball. Who knows, maybe a career switch could be in the books for Cade sometime in the future? Then again, this would be an absolute shame for the world of basketball given how insanely talented this young man is on the court. Pistons fans, in particular, would love to keep their future cornerstone stud in Detroit for as long as humanly possible.
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