Cade Cunningham Officially Declares for the 2021 NBA Draft

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State star freshman Cade Cunningham is headed to the NBA. Cunningham declared for the 2021 NBA Draft in a press conference head on the court of Gallagher-Iba Arena on Thursday, April 1.

Head coach Mike Boynton started the press conference by announcing he was headed to the NBA to play, instead of Cade, with Cade staying behind to coach the program. It was a fun April Fool’s joke that broke the ice, but Cade Cunningham is in fact headed to the NBA.

The 2021 NBA Draft is scheduled for July 29, with the draft combine set to take place June 21-27. Cunningham is being projected as the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.

“You lose [to Oregon State], it was just so many high emotions in the moment,” Cunningham said of the Pokes’ final loss of the season. “I never wanted to take the jersey off after the game. It’s hard to make that decision [to declare for the draft] in the moment, so I just wanted to wait until my head was level. I was just blessed to have the opportunity to be able to enter into the draft and I feel like I had done a lot of the work early to be able to be in that position. So, when the time came, I felt like it was something I felt I had to do for my future and for my family’s future. I’m excited to step into this next chapter of my life and see how it’s going to go.”

Cunningham had a stellar one-and-done year as he averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks. He also helped lead the Pokes to a 21-9 overall record, 11-7 in conference play, the best record for OSU since the 2012-13 season.

He earned the Big 12 Freshman and Player of the Year and was the first player in program history to earn First Team AP All-America status. He also earned first-team All-America status by the NABC, USA Today and the Sporting News. He’s also a finalist for the Wooden Award, the award given out to the nation’s top basketball player.