Cade Cunningham has taken a stand against NBA stars who play too much for the referees’ whistle.
The Detroit Pistons point guard shared his thoughts on what he believes is the biggest issue in the NBA today during an interview with GQ’s Matthew Roberson. Cunningham gave a two-word answer: Foul baiting. He lamented how some of his superstar peers excessively “flop” in order to draw foul calls.
“The referees have to get involved because we’re baiting people into fouls all the time,” Cunningham said. “The flopping is just too much. .. What do you do with your best players that do it? Three of the top 5, 10 guys [in the NBA] are doing it constantly. You gon’ kick them out the game?”
The conversation immediately went to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are led by the foul-drawing savant Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Cunningham stated that you “can’t hack them” and hoped he could get a similar whistle himself down the line. Cunningham admitted that drawing fouls is a skill and that he still “can’t sell a foul for nothing.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is far from the only superstar player to be labeled a “flopper” over the years. Fellow former MVPs James Harden, Joel Embiid, and LeBron James have all been known to embellish contact from game to game.
Cunningham does rank in the top-12 in free throw attempts this season at just over seven per contest. But the 6’6″ lead guard gets to the line more with his strength and aggression as the star of the physically imposing Pistons.
With Detroit far and away the best team in the East so far this season, Cunningham may start getting the calls he wants sooner rather than later.
The comment on foul baiting wasn’t the only take Cunningham had in his interview with GQ. He also called himself the best American player heading into the 2028 Summer Olympics.
