Cunningham emerges as first pick in 2021 NBA Draft, joins Detroit Pistons

At the 2021 NBA Draft, 19-year-old Cade Cunningham was selected by Detroit Pistons as the number one pick from Round One of the draft, emulating the likes of Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson, and DeAndre Ayton in recent years, all of whom have gone on to become bonafide stars in their own rights.

Cunningham is a point guard who previously played basketball at College level before cancelling his college eligibility so as to be drafted into the NBA. The 19-year-old signed a deal with Sportswear giants Nike days before the Draft. He was an integral part of the USA’s 2019 FIBA U-19 winning squad, leading the scoring in the final against Mali. Cunningham comes into the NBA with a huge reputation as one of the best players of his class, and he has reiterated his desire to work hard and ensure that he succeeds in the division.

Three Nigeria-eligible players were selected in the draft; Charles Bassey, Usman Garuba and Ayo Dosunmu. Garuba, 19, represents Spain internationally and was the 23rd pick in the first round of the draft as he was selected by the Houston Rockets. Dosunmu was selected by his hometown franchise Chicago Bulls as the 38th pick, despite having spent time training with the Golden State Warriors. 20-year-old Bassey was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, before leaving the country for Kentucky and was selected as the overall 53rd pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. The seventh pick in the Draft was DR Congo’s 18-year-old Jonathan Kuminga, who left his home country as a 13-year-old to pursue his dreams away from his family in the USA. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors. Here is the full draft;

ROUND 1:

Cade Cunningham- Detroit Pistons

Jalen Green- Houston Rockets

Evan Mobley- Cleveland Cavaliers

Scottie Barnes- Toronto Raptors

Jalen Suggs- Orlando Magic

Josh Giddey- Oklahoma City Thunder

Jonathan Kuminga- Golden State Warriors

Franz Wagner- Orlando Magic

Davion Mitchell- Sacramento Kings

Ziaire Williams- New Orleans Pelicans

James Bouknight- Charlotte Hornets

Joshua Primo- San Antonio Spurs

Chris Duarte- Indiana Pacers

Moses Moody- Golden State Warriors

Corey Kispert- Washington Wizards

Alperen Senguin- Oklahoma City Thunder

Trey Murphy- Memphis Grizzlies

Tre Mann- Oklahoma City Thunder

Kai Jones- New York Knicks

Jalen Johnson- Atlanta Hawks

Kevin Johnson- New York Knicks

Isaiah Jackson- Los Angeles Lakers

Usman Garuba- Houston Rockets

Josh Christopher- Houston Rockets

Quentin Grimes- Los Angeles Clippers

Nah’Shon Hyland- Denver Nuggets

Cameron Thomas- Brooklyn Nets

Jaden Spring- Philadelphia 76ers

Day’Ron Sharpe- Phoenix Suns

Santi Aldama- Utah Jazz

ROUND TWO:

Isaiah Todd- Milwaukee Bucks

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl- New York Knicks

Jason Preston- Orlando Magic

Rokas Jokubaitis- Oklahoma City Thunder

Herbert Jones- New Orleans Pelicans

Miles McBride- Oklahoma City Thunder

JT Thor- Detroit Pistons

Ayo Dosunmu- Chicago Bullss

Neemias Queta- Sacramento Kings

Jared Butler- New Orleans Pelicans

Joe Wieskamp- San Antonio Spurs

Isaiah Livers- Detroit Pistons

Greg Brown- New Orleans Pelicans

Kessler Edwards- Brooklyn Nets

Juhann Begarin- Boston Celtics

Dalano Banton- Toronto Raptors

David Johnson- Toronto Raptors

Sharife Cooper- Atlanta Hawks

Marcus Zegarowski- Brooklyn Nets

Filip Petrusev- Philadelphia 76ers

BJ Boston- Memphis Grizzlies

Luka Garza- Detroit Pistons

Charles Bassey- Philadelphia 76ers

Sandro Mamukelashvili- Indiana Pacers

Aaron Wiggins- Oklahoma City Thunder

Scottie Lewis- Charlotte Hornets

Balsa Koprivica- Charlotte Hornets

Jericho Sims- New York Knicks

Raiquan Gray- Brooklyn Nets

Georgios Kalaitzakis- Indiana Pacers