Kevin Durant Gets Cade Cunningham to Open Up About His NBA Journey & New Nike Signature Sneaker

Kevin Durant Gets Cade Cunningham to Open Up About His NBA Journey & New Nike Signature Sneaker

I’ve never said this on no interview, bro, but my first month at my verb, I’ve never had nobody in my family, no nobody around me die. Mhm. That happens. Two more deaths. Wow. So, it’s three of them. And then 2 weeks after like all that, I find out, man. Okay. And this is not an accident. What’s up, my boy? [Music] Smile. Nah. I’m K. Cunningham and this is Boil Rooms cover story. Appreciate you, bro. This is uh always respected how you move. Your game is unique. Your style is unique. So, getting to be able to talk to you. I’m a nerd. So, I want to just nerd out on life, ball, style, music, all of that. But first, I want to kind of like go back to how you came up being in Dallas, growing up in Dallas, and what made you make the decision to say, “All right, this is what I want to do uh for a living.” My dad was a football player, so I used I was growing up playing football. Like that was like my number one. I don’t know, bro. I just it hit a time where I realized like I didn’t really care for football practice at all. You know what I mean? But like hooping and like working on my game and stuff just was like I had a thrill with it. when I was going to high school, you know, Texas, like that’s when it’s serious football time. So, yeah, I just wanted to hoop, bro. My brother was already hooping, so it was just simple for me. Would you say that like you you knew you wanted to be a point guard cuz you tall you was taller than all your classmates coming? No, not at all though. I was I was at like three probably at this time. I’m still playing some four for real on my team. And that didn’t happen until I was playing I played 15U, I played 16U. I wasn’t playing up at all in high school. play 15U, 16U, and 16U. My brother was like, “Nah, we got to go. Just try to go full point just for pos like size of position, you know, and I already was a playmaker, but I was like a point forward for real.” Now, I just went full time and never looked back. Do you think playing in your age group, like, cuz a lot of guys play 15s, they might play up 17s and they coming off the bench, they might not get a lot of opportunities, but they got potential. You felt like playing 15s and playing 16s allowed you to kind of grow and become that point guard you wanted to be? For sure, bro. Like when I played 16s, there’s no way any other guard ran more pick and rolls than me, bro. That’s something. No chance, bro. Like we coming down and we were just repping it. You know what I mean? Like this summer the games was like training for me the whole year, you know? So I wasn’t going to get that playing 17 years. I played one one session 17 years with Drive Nation. I played the three. They had, you know, they had guards that was like this their last year. So, it just didn’t make sense. And a lot of people was on my head about that at the time. I know people were always talking to my brother like he got to be playing up. He can’t be playing his age group. But, we just had I mean, we had a mission. We had a plan and we just try to stick with it. Now, would you say that you start watching film around this time like 15, 16 years old? Like, cuz you said you in pick and roll a lot. It take a lot of smarts, a lot of intellect to know, you know, how to read the game at that age. So, I’m sure your brother who was a coach too, right, had you watching films. So, who was you watching around that time? Yeah, I’m watching all the big guards, bro. So, Penny T-Mac, uh Brandon Roy was always one of my favorites cuz he just didough. He had a touch of everything, bro. You know what I mean? Right hand, left hand, big guard, he’s posting up, too. Jason Kid was a big one. Just like all the big guards, bro. It wasn’t really anybody that I just locked in on like I need to be like him. I was just trying to take something from a little bit of everybody and going to Mont Ver that decision what went into the going to to Mont my sophomore year I was watching Geico Nash championship my ver was playing and they just talk being Carter he keep talking about like this this prep school route you know what I mean and how like everybody’s playing top of the top every year and I’m watching I’m like bro I got to be on this stage you know I got to be on this stage at some point like that’s not happening where in my hometown. So I just I’m begging my parents and eventually they they bent on me like all right bet we going to let you go but you got to keep everything straight and my ver was smooth like they had such a a like a structure to it that my parents were willing to let me rock out. So they let you go out there by yourself? Yeah, I was I moved out at what 16? Yeah, 16. And how was that being able to kind of live out on your own? Cuz that’s like going to college early. You know what I’m saying? Y’all lived in dorms and everything out there, right, bro? My I’ve never I’ve never said this on no interview, bro. But my first month at my verb, moved away from all my family. I go through like the first death ever in I’ve never had nobody in my family, no nobody around me die. You know what I mean? Mhm. That happens. Two more deaths. Wow. So it’s three of them. And then 2 weeks after like all that, I find out my ex-girlfriend’s pregnant I’m having my daughter and I’m away from my parents. I’m away from everybody, bro. So like I was just like I was stuck, you know what I mean? And my parents, you know, I’m so thankful for them, bro. They’ve been such a like support system for me with my daughter and everything. They was like, you know, you you really you was begging us to go out there and do your thing hooping. I’m thinking I got to go back to the crib now and be a dad. Hoop is done for me. You thought you was done? I thought it was done, bro. Everybody I knew that had kids young like was done hooping, bro. But you didn’t they weren’t you though like you you was a I wasn’t too known at this time, bro. Yeah. Yeah. I wasn’t too known. Like I was It’s crazy. I say that and I was still five star. Like I was still You wasn’t where you wanted to be at. Like I wasn’t where I wanted to be. You know what I mean? Your daughter came when you were junior in high school. Junior high school. Yeah. That is insane. I never I didn’t know that until Christmas you got drafted. And to go through all of that in your junior senior year and like I would have never known. You walk you walk around here like a a grownup and that’s why we respect you. That make you grow up. And now I know why. You know what I’m saying? As you was picking colleges, did you want to get be closer to to Dallas for that simple reason that you was having a daughter? That played that played a part into it for sure. And you ain’t want to go to Texas. That’s crazy, bro. I mean, we talk about that. No, go ahead. Go ahead. Like my family, man, they so supportive of me. Like whenever all that stuff was going on, they like, “You’ve been begging to go now. Go for it.” You know what I mean? We got We got Riley, go for it. That’s fire. And then going through college, same same. Like they were so like, “We got your daughter.” Mhm. that I really had the option to go anywhere. Like there nobody was pressing. My brother was at Oklahoma State. He’s telling me like, “Bro, you those might be better schools for you.” Really? I mean, it’s Kentucky. It’s Carol. It’s all the ones, you know. And your brother was a coach at Oklahoma State a year before you got there. Right. You always wanted to play for your brother though, huh? But that’s that’s my man’s, bro. Yeah. Like he he taught you how to play. Yeah. He he kind of groomed you. So you it was a no-brainer to go to State. We just speak the same language, bro. He understands me. He’s all about me being better. You know what I’m saying? Best version of myself. Coach Bon, the head coach at the time, he was first coach to offer me. Like me and him had built the best relationship out of all the college coaches already. Then he goes and gets my brother. The whole team is from my area basically. Like I grew up playing. It just made sense. Like Lord willing, I had the plan. I’m going to the NBA after this one season wherever I go, you know? So I just felt like I might as well surround myself around the best people possible for this year. I feel like Oklahoma State is one of those schools that you can leave a mark in in a year. You know, they got a nice history, but I feel like somebody like you can come in there and really establish yourself. And I think you did that early on. Uh I mean, your whole college um small college career averaging tw what 26 and five. Oh, and three. You ain’t average five assists, three assists. Average in college, bro. We was actually just talking about this. What I average? We was talking about best freshman’s ever. I averaged 20 25 and and 12 rebounds. That’s ridiculous. One assist. That’s ridiculous, though. I was nervous as hell my first game. Yeah. And but by the second game, I was like, “Oh, yeah. This is this is a this is going to be a kind of a kickball.” You felt that early on at Oklahoma State. Yeah. Yeah. You just feel it, bro. Like, oh, no. I’m still like, at first you nervous about like the physicality, all the other stuff, like you young body, whatever. But after you get to it, then it’s like, “Oh yeah, I’m still best player out here.” You know what I mean? They have been big shots. Oh, they steal it with Cunningham. Anderson Cunningham three. Wow. And coach Boon, he he he coached you. Like it wasn’t no like, “K, you going to be the first pick and coddled you.” He He really coached you. He’s like, “But I I got to you got to allow me to coach you. You have to be You know what I’m saying? Yeah. Don’t think you gonna come over here.” And because we’re not one of them blue bloodoods or something that we’re just gonna Yeah. I respect that. You know what I mean? And I respected that so much, bro. He never made me feel like I was above the group. You know what I’m saying? The group didn’t feel like I was above them. I think that was why we overachieved that year. For real. After your season, obviously, like you said, you knew you was going to be you was going to go to the league. Who were the teams that were lottery teams around that time, though? Top three was Detroit, Houston, and Cleveland. I know you love Detroit. There’s nothing against Detroit, but did you have a a team in mind that you wanted to play for coming out of college? Not at all, actually, bro. Now, whenever whenever the lottery was happening and it started it started cutting down, I’m like, it’s final three. It’s Cleveland, Houston, and Detroit. I’m like, don’t let me go to Cleveland. I mean, Cleveland and Detroit, I mean, what’s the what’s the difference between I don’t know if it was the red and blue. I don’t know if it was the hit like Isaiah Thomas. Yeah, they got a lot of It was just a history for it. Yeah, I was a big Braun fan growing up. You know what I’m saying? But I’m not trying to go to Cleveland, bro. And then it’s Houston. I’m from Arlington. Houston, 4 hours down the road. Like, but in my head, back of my head, I’m like, that might get tricky, you know? Yeah. I feel like I kind of wanted to People don’t want to go to Still Water. People want to go to Houston. You’re right. You know what I’m saying? You’re right. You’re right. It was just different like and I could feel it even beforehand. Everybody like Houston. Yeah. And something about me was just like, you know. Yeah. Yeah. It’s it’s good to go get away, lock in, focus on the game and and I wouldn’t have been mad, but Yeah. Obviously, I was so happy to go to Detroit, bro. And everybody was kind of like, why are you, you know? I love I love Detroit for you for the simple fact that it’s a hardworking city for one. The people there really grind. It’s a lot of self-made people there. And then the Detroit Pistons brand from back in the bad boy days, even the the 04 Pistons. I feel like you were the type of player to kind of, you know, bring that back together. I know it was a rough few, you know, first few years with losing streak, different coaches, different front office, but I feel like now y’all kind of solidified yselves as like, “All right, this this is the team we want to build with.” Do you did you how quickly did you sense like the city started to rally around y’all team after such a bad start the year before? It took some time through that year like we started off slow. Yeah. I think we lost we dropped maybe like the first five games, first four games last year. Everybody was like, “Ah, here we go again.” You know what I mean? You could hear that in the crowd. You could feel it. Mhm. We went on a road trip. Y’all beat us. I remember beat y’all. Y start. That was one of the starts for us. Like, all right. Yeah. We, you know, we beat LA that road trip. I remember that trip and we came back and it was energy in there, bro. And it we never really turned back from there. Was it more focus in film, more focus in practice, shoot around? Did you see the intensity level go up with everybody? We had a great group of vets come in, bro. So, it was like they knew what it took to win. You know what I’m saying? They had been around it and they was Tobias. Who came in? Tobias, Tim Hardaway. Yep. Malik Beasley. They all made big plays for y’all. came and made big plays like they’re on the court but also in practice every day they their seriousness was different than what we had you know what I’m saying we’d always been so young so the seriousness like the attention to detail just rose for us did you feel like your voice was being you you had to you know your voice had to be louder and louder as I started winning more or did you kind of like all right let me just focus in let the vets do they thing and let me just focus in on my role I feel like I’ve always just kind of been like a a steady steady voice for real. Like when we was losing, I was trying. You know what I’m saying? But like, man, we just couldn’t figure it out and I wasn’t ready yet to like lead, you know? The vets coming in, like them talking to me, like me picking their brains and stuff. I just felt more equipped, you know, and I built like camaraderie with them on the court as far as chemistry and stuff and we just all kind of rose from that. But as far as like talking and stuff like I’ve always kind of just had that like talking to guys being communic, you know, I’ve just always just kind of been that way. I asked that because you know you coming in you how old are you now? 24. And at 22 you got to be the leader of the team. You got probably and now 24 you got younger guys coming in behind you. And usually that’s a tough position to be put into, but having a coach like JB who can who’s been around great players, who’s been an assistant, how’s your relationship grown since last season? No, it’s grown a lot, bro. We our competitive spirits is what connected us in the beginning. You know what I mean? Like I think we we saw that in each other and we knew that we were going to compete for each other. But I mean, just like we both love the game. We both love the details of it, like what will make this work out better, how what will make this close out look better. And I’ve always been like a natural leader as far as talking to the guys. And I think I take some off of his plate when it comes to that. He wants to win so bad. He don’t have no he he’ll call anybody out, call me out, he call anybody out for what we need done from him and then you just move from it. You know what I mean? Like I’ve just always respected that so much. One thing I love about JB is how intense he is when he’s screaming at the ref. That’s how you That’s how you can tell he love he want to win so bad. He gets to it, bro. So, I want to talk a little bit about like offensively what y’all like some I know I don’t want to give away all your philosophies, but like you handle the ball a lot. Do you feel as though sometimes you want to come off of it and play off the ball a little bit more? Yeah. I’ve had games where we’ve we’ve done that, you know what I mean? And it’s fun. It’s it’s it’s a good balance, you know what I mean? I think there’s there’s time where like I need to be bringing it up and like facilitating everything from up top. But there’s been a lot of times where depending on how they want to guard me and stuff like that, a lot of times people want to pick me up, turn me a bunch when I’m when I’m bringing it up. Depending on all that stuff, it just is less energy to come down. come off screen, maybe get the ball on the spot, and now we can play. So, it’s a balance, bro. I’m still trying to figure it out for real. But would you say Dennis Schroer helped you with that last year? He helped a ton, bro. I like I like what he brought to your team last year. Yeah. He just knows how to get guys in spots. We trying to get this this play, you know what I mean? He’s He’s just so savvy, bro. And he got that dog to him. He do. He’ll pick up 94 feet. He don’t care who it is. He’ll talk [ __ ] to anybody. You don’t like him as an opponent, but on your team? Yeah. He look like a good teammate. So, do you ever feel like you can be in the back court with another guard start like with a point guard? Not like a Malik Beasley, Duncan Robinson, but another point guard like somebody else that can handle the ball like you. Yeah, I think so. Really? I think I think it just has to be like me and me and Ivy, bro, we haven’t got a lot of time together. You know what I’m saying? But I think our approaches are like I don’t know what the but it’s like opposites attract kind of you know like we have two different ways of going about it. I get what you mean. But I’ve always felt like we could figure it out and be special. You know what I’m saying? We just always been on and off the court. Yeah. We we haven’t been able to meet each other on the court for long enough to really get that going. But I think he’s somebody that’s like he he has that he could pick up full turn you d he could be on the ball while I’m coming off the screens. He started shooting it better last year too when he got before he got hurt. He started shooting the skin off the ball. So like now I’m coming off. He’s a he’s a knockdown shooter for me. We know he can get in a paint at will. You know what I mean? So I definitely feel like I can. I think he’s a he’s a great example of that. We just haven’t been able to get it going. But for sure, bro. I think I can definitely play with a guard. Yeah, I feel like you’re a combo. I feel like I actually feel like you can go from one to four actually. I mean, you always going to bring the ball up, but you can guard some bigger players and shoot the ball, catch and shoot, too. You made the Allstar team. Fire, bro. Last year. Fire. I didn’t like the format though for y’all. I felt for y’all, bro. Y’all first won and y’all had to go through that type of like y’all still playing, bro. It was nasty. I didn’t like it. All the legends still in the game and it’s like y I didn’t like it. I didn’t even get to play against you, did I? No. That was terrible. That was terrible. That was bad. I understand I’m trying to, but that was bad. But overall though, like being named the Allstar, that [ __ ] is that’s huge. That’s something that nobody ever take from you. Like obviously that was a goalie or it’s coming into the season, right? How was that weekend for you though? Cuz that first one Yeah, it’s crazy. It’s hectic, right? Yeah, it’s it’s a lot of moving around. Um like did your was your schedule filled from 9:00 a.m. to night time? That’s my first one was sick, bro. I was I was done. I think they kind of took care of me. I I feel like it was busy though. Yeah. Just being out there, bro. Yeah. And actually being an allstar like rising stars is amazing. You going out there, you’re part of it. Just the spectator is cool. But like when you all you out there, it’s just it’s like everybody there for you. Like everybody there for us. Like the whole world watching us right now. It’s just different, bro. It’s a great It’s a great feeling, bro. But coming out of Allstar break, that was the first time you like, “All right, coming out this break, we got to put our foot on the gas if we actually want to.” Yeah. You know what I’m saying? We writing that hunt. Yeah. You writing that hunt. So, you got to turn the page real quick. Did y’all make any trades last year going into Y got Dennis? Y got Dennis. Yeah, we got DS. So, yeah. I mean, that’s another phase of the team having to turn the page so quick and try to understand that the late end of the season and and speak on that like playing for standings now cuz we don’t that that’s like it’s easy in the playoffs when you can focus in on the team and lock in on the team for a week, but each each a different opponent every night when you’re trying to get ready for the playoffs. It’s serious, bro. How was that mindset going right after the All-Star break? I mean, firstly, it was a blessing to even be in that, you know what I’m saying? Versus the previous years come out of All-Star break season. It’s Yeah. season over with, you know, everybody taking off against you. Mhm. It’s just like nobody even like nobody gives a damn about our games, you know? So, just had us all fired up like we had b we’ve had a bunch of guys be in the trenches, you know, like for years not even thinking about playoff, not even smelling playoff basketball. It’s a sick feeling. It’s sick, bro. To be in the hunt. Everybody was just like, “Nah, we we going to get in there for sure.” So, it was cool, bro. It It I think it helped us a lot as far as the professionalism part of it of of being a playoff team. Like, I think it was just great for all us young guys to experience that for the first time. And we got better, bro. Like, we should we should have won that next series, man. What was the game? Should have won that. But what game two? Did y’all win game two? Right. Yeah. Game one y’all was supposed to win. Game one we were supposed to win too. Playing in a guardian. Your first playoff game. Unbelievable, bro. Your first game though wasn’t really what you wanted it to be. No, it wasn’t. What was the stats that game? You know, I might have 20 23. You shot bad. I mean, I shot bad. You shot bad. It wasn’t a you you didn’t shot you didn’t shoot towards the stands. But game two, like what was your what was your adjustment in between those games? I was I’mma take what they give me. I’m not going to force anything. I’m going, you know, and I I got too passive. Yeah. They showing me bodies and I’m just getting off of it, but I’m not really trying to figure out how am I going to apply myself. You know what I mean? So when you feel when they start showing bodies, doubling the pick and roll in the gaps and you start passing, you look up, it’s the third quarter, you ain’t really got nothing going. You felt like you had no rhythm at all, huh? Yeah. I mean, I was I was getting shots, but like I just wasn’t in a I wasn’t in enough of an attack mindset, you know what I mean? To where like I’m going in here to score, y’all come help. Now I’m making plays. I was kind of like, I’mma come in here, y’all are going to help. I’m make plays. It’s just a difference, you know? That’s a small nuance, man. That’s like and and I find myself trying to balance that so much. And it’s like you don’t want to think about it too much, but it’s like when you start seeing yourself not being aggressive and start, you know, letting the defense dictate now, that’s when you start putting your foot on the gas. So, and that’s playing into their hands more. Exactly. Exactly. That’s one of the balances that honestly I feel like is one of the biggest things that like if I can master that. I think I could take my game to a whole another level. You know what I mean? It’s like something that I’ve always been trying to work on and um it’s fun, bro. It’s fun. Like you know how fun this job is, bro. It is. Especially in the playoffs when you get to play the same team over again and then you know why you lost. You understand watching film how you can get better. It’s like a real journey through a playoff series. You know what I’m saying? Like, bro, this is nothing like it, bro. Game one, the best basketball ever of my life. So, it’s like no going back for y’all. So, every game in the regular season is important. Every every practice, shoot around feels important. Has your routine kind of changed based off of like becoming more successful as a team and as a player? Like your day-to-day routine, practice, shoots, game day? I mean, bro, it’s it’s similar. I think I’m just more intentional about what it is I’m working on. Shoot around, game days, and stuff like pregame routines and stuff. I’m just more intent. I remember I asked you about that stuff, like how how robotic are you about it as far as like do are you trying to do the exact same thing or do you mess around with it, you know? And I remember you telling me like, “Nah, bro. I you got to you got to be free with it.” You know what I’m saying? Yeah. And that hon that changed how I go about it. Like just having intention on I’m about to work on this and I go out there and work on it, bro. Until it feels good. For real. Off the court. I feel pretty much same. I’ve never been too crazy, bro. Like I’ve always been pretty chill. Yeah. Yeah. I know you don’t do much at all. I get my nap before the game, bro. I’m good to go. Like I’m chilling, bro. I don’t really get into too much. No. So, what’s a what’s a shoot around uh routine for you? Y’all like y’all shoot around a lot? A lot of teams don’t shoot around no more. We young, bro. Y’all still shoot around every game? Most games. Not every game, but back to backs. No, almost everything else. If you shoot around a back to back JB, that’s crazy. N JB ain’t on that. You just get that pregame work in on a shoot around on a game day or you get work in before shoot or after shoot around? Like when you get your usually get your individuals in? After shoot around, I get individuals. How long is that? Cuz that’s the type of [ __ ] I’m thinking about because they because you know we get loads, you know, they they put chips on us all the time. So it’s like they trying to tailor our workout. So I’m always curious to what dudes doing throughout the game, how much load they putting on their body. I was just told today I got to shorten that up. Me too, bro. as soon as yo oh man I was pissed cuz it it just goes until it feels like you know and so but that doesn’t that doesn’t align with the lows that they want you know what I’m saying so and I understand that sometimes I feel it afterwards like I did too much trying to work but it’s and I feel I feel as though it’s a tough one it’s a tough one and a lot of people and I you know I’m always tapped into how people view our game and how they view the players and they tend to look at us as a little softer as other generations But I was just like, yo, if you would, we’re basically in a lab in there sometimes. It’s like they can read every little thing that we do and tailor everything we not playing today or cut this workout in 20 minutes. But as a player, like you really have to find your own rhythm amongst all of this stuff, regardless of what they say sometimes. Yeah, you do. Right. And you have to, bro. It’s all on your field at the end of the day. Yeah. And you feel like as a you a young vet and you K you the max player. You feel like you can say all right nah this is what I want to do out here. You feel like you got that type of voice within the organization. I went long again today after he said that I went like it’s all on feel, bro. Like if something don’t feel right, you know what I’m saying? Yeah. Or if you just want something to be sharper, like it is what it is. What does it what does a that 15 20 minutes look like for you? Is it high intensity one-on-one simulating a one-on-one iso work, catch and shoot? Is it your left hand hook that you like to do? Is it actually running through plays? Like what does that look like individual for you? Yeah, a lot of times it’s it’s touch stuff. So like my jumper for show, um floaters, then like stationary like finishes from close far, hooks from close far. That lefty that you got me one. You got me last year with that hook. I did not know it was coming. I didn’t know you had the I didn’t know you had the left. Yeah. Nobody Nobody expects a left foot. You got nice pace when you backing down. You just like quick left. That was tough. So you you you on you working on all of that. Yeah, bro. I’m working I’m start I’m going start I’m going to get some I want to see some left hooks from you. N I’m a little nerv I’ve been working on them, but I’m a little nervous in the game. My left ain’t ain’t as as sharp as yours. I’m going to get it there. You got to get the bounce ones. Make your misses. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You’re right. You’re right. Those the ones [Music] you heavy in the music [ __ ] right? You like you make music. You got a studio at the house. I sent you a song before. He ain’t he ain’t even respond back to the song, but it’s all good. I’m going to send you I’m going to send you some more stuff when I send some more. I got better. I’m going to send you a open too, bro. Please, please, please. And and I don’t know if they know that about K that he really be in that studio heavy. The Detroit rap scene is crazy. Sick, right? Like it’s almost like Atlanta level of Yeah. You know what I’m saying? Taking over. That’s what I feel like they the number one in the game right now. It’s crazy. And I’m seeing Babyface Ray at the games now. I’m seeing Peasy. I’m seeing Big Sean. See you with V’s the other day. Like, have you have y’all tapped in yet? And yeah, I’m tapped in with all them, bro. They all show love, bro. They They put you on every song, Big Sean. How they put you on every Come out to the games, bro. Detroit is different like that. You know what I’m saying? Like it’s just a different love out there, bro. From everybody. I think everybody supports each other. That’s It’s cool, bro. It’s cool to be a part of something like that. You know what I’m saying? I play for the Pistons, bro. So, like, now I’m I just got dropped into a community like that. It’s fire, bro. I love it. No, I love Detroit. I love everything they doing in Detroit. You heard of Bruiser Wolf? No. Check out Bruiser Wolf. My favorite new artist from Detroit talking the same type of Go check out Bruiser Wolf. Bruiser Wolf from Detroit, bro. He love you too. I say less. I just got a text, matter of fact, saying that you signing back with Nike. This is true. That’s true. Yeah, it’s true. And you going to get your own signature shoe. That’s true. That’s true, bro. Hey. Hey, bro. Bro, I’m so happy for you, dog. Yes, sir. I don’t know if you want me to tell, but we had a conversation this summer. You called me. We did, bro. The fact you picked up that phone call though, come on, dog. Bro, was so real, fam. Come on, dog. Come on, dog. No. Like, for real, bro. We was just talking about the Nike game and what it means and like how important that is to us for you to get your own shoe, bro. And for you to have Alexi, like, you know how big that is, bro? Bro, it’s hard. I mean, a signature athlete at Nike. I haven’t really like like grasped it yet. You know what I’m saying? That’s incredible. You got the code. One of the coldest logos I ever seen. Appreciate that, bro. So, I know I know I know you going to create some dope stuff. Um, but congratulations, dog. Thank you, bro. That’s insane. When When you think it What, two years? You think? Initially, I was told 18 months. That’s fire. So, I can’t wait, bro. That’s fire. Make sure you hands on with all designs, man. All that. Like, this [ __ ] is is fun, bro. It’s fun once you really put your hands on it. Early on in my career, I was more so like, “All right, just give me a shoe and I’ll just put it on.” Yeah. But as I got older, I really started to value the from the ground up. The whole process, advertising, all that, bro. It’s a part of your legacy. That’s who you are. Shoes going to be on the ground forever when you done playing. You know what I’m saying? Your kids going to daughter going to be able to have her her name on these shoes. So, man, that’s what’s up. I don’t got no worries about it, bro. Still like I’m still like, man, it’s crazy. It’s a dream come true, bro. That’s dope. That’s dope. I appreciate you, bro. No, bro. This was fire, bro. You really Appreciate you. You really a young legend to me. I know you going to put the work in to actually bring it to fruition. But, bro, you setting the generation up. Like, people are looking up to you right now, bro. So, keep at it, bro. Here for you always. Can’t be said about you, though, bro. For real. No doubt. Like, living legend, bro. Still doing it. Like, thank you, brother. Still doing it. People don’t understand how special what you do is. You know what I’m saying? Thank you, man. Over time, like I when I was coming up, OKC, all that stuff, like it was loud. You know what I’m saying? Yeah. But I don’t know. I think over time people just like they want to look at the next stuff, bro. What you’ve been doing, I got nothing but like love for, bro. Always. Always, man. Appreciate you, bro. Appreciate it. [Music] Look

Kevin Durant sits down with Cade Cunningham in this exclusive Boardroom Cover Story that reflects on the Detroit Pistons star’s NBA journey — from growing up in Arlington, Texas, and being shaped by his older brother to making the move to Montverde Academy, where he learned discipline and accountability. He also discusses his decision to attend Oklahoma State to play for his brother, emphasizing the trust and family foundation that guided his choices. Now with the Pistons, Cade opens up about the ups and downs of leadership at a young age, balancing patience with urgency, and maintaining belief through team struggles. He also talks about fatherhood, how becoming a dad changed his perspective on life and competition, and how he’s evolved both on and off the court. The conversation between Cade and KD weaves between memories of early basketball influences, lessons in work ethic, and his vision for leading Detroit back to relevance.

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