Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham has not let himself go, despite what some recent photos on social media led fans to believe.
Cunningham, who has not played since he was shut down with a shin injury last December, was the victim of a cruel internet prank over the weekend. Two photos that went viral appeared to show the former No. 1 overall pick with a scraggly beard and a much fuller face than when we last saw him.
Man what happened to Cade… pic.twitter.com/6kWzw2GNP2
— Buttcrack Sports (@ButtCrackSports) June 25, 2023
Some people immediately recognized that the pictures were shared by the infamous Buttcrack Sports, a parody account that does a good job of making extremely fake stories and quotes look legitimate. The unedited photos of Cunningham are far less concerning.
Let's settle this once and for all. Those Cade Cunningham pics are fake.
Here are the real ones. pic.twitter.com/W07F5KnPCm
— Pistons Nation (@PistonsNationCP) June 25, 2023
That’s just plain cruel.
Cunningham averaged 17.4 points per game as a rookie two seasons ago. He got off to an even better start last year but played in just 12 games before undergoing season-ending surgery.
There are always concerns that a player will come back out of shape from an injury, which is why some people believed that Cunningham looked like Tom Hanks in “Castaway.” Pistons fans can stop panicking now.
