Detroit — Cade Cunningham has fond memories of looking up to the athletes who impacted his community when he was growing up in Arlington, Texas. In a city where Dirk Nowitzki was at the peak of his career with the Dallas Mavericks, Cunningham remembers several Dallas Cowboys players visiting his school during the holiday season.

Watching professional athletes instilled in him a desire to one day give back to the community through his own humanitarian efforts. On Sunday afternoon, the now-All-NBA guard hosted “A Cade Christmas” — a holiday giveback event dedicated to helping hundreds of Detroit youth and their families. The event took place at the Detroit Union Carpenters and Millwrights Skilled Training Center.

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“This is special. This is the cool part about doing what I get to do, which is to give back with the resources I have. This is something me and my family love to do,” Cunningham said. “I was once in their shoes, and I always appreciated when people came back, or just seeing the players that I looked up to and admired. It is crazy that I am in this position now, but I try to do the best I can and give back in the best way that I can.”

Cade and the Cunningham family sponsored the event, which featured a festive Christmas party atmosphere complete with games, food and music for all attending families. Children also had the opportunity to take pictures with Cunningham and play a quick game of pop-a-shot.

There were dozens of donation gifts, from Detroit Pistons-branded basketballs to brand-new bicycles for every child. Parents received grocery and gas gift cards, along with a free gift-wrapping station. The Christmas celebration also included a game truck, face painters, balloon artists and a photo booth.

“This was amazing, I loved this event,” Kalaundra Hall said. “I loved that my students and kids got a chance to participate in this, coming out, and have a nice holiday event before Christmas, and of course, meet Cade Cunningham.”

Hall continued, “These students don’t get many opportunities like this on a daily basis. How often do they get to meet an NBA athlete? Some kids may not even be experiencing Christmas, but they get to come here and get something. This helped kids come out, have a good time, meet some friends, play — this was great for them.”

“A Cade Christmas” partnered with Give Merit — a Detroit-based youth organization that champions educational access and mentorship for underserved students.

A Cade Christmas was one of Cunningham’s many examples of his commitment to the city of Detroit as the face of the Pistons franchise.

“I’ve been blessed with the resources that I have to allow me to do things like this, and it is only right to give back,” Cunningham said. “As a kid, I always thought, ‘Once I make it, this is going to be something that I would love to do.’ It’s amazing. I am really thankful.”

coty.davis@detroitnews.com

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