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Cade Cunningham Gains $45 Million From All-NBA Honors

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Cade Cunningham Gains  Million From All-NBA Honors

The Detroit Pistons won a playoff game this season for the first time since 2008, back when Antonio McDyess led the team in scoring against Kevin Garnett’s Boston Celtics. While the Pistons posted their best attendance numbers in 16 years amid a dramatic business turnaround, the franchise isn’t the only party to benefit financially.

Point guard Cade Cunningham was rewarded with a 2025 All-NBA Third-Team honor Friday, which comes with a $45 million pay raise.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft signed a rookie contract extension last summer that was due to be worth at least 25% of the salary cap (five years, $224 million), with the potential to increase to 30% of the cap (five years, $269 million) if he made an All-NBA team this year.

This type of deal structure dates to the 2011 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), and specifically the “Derrick Rose Rule” (officially named the “5th year, 30% max criteria”). The clause allows a player to re-sign with his current team to earn a salary greater than the typical maximum starting in his fifth season if at least one among a list of criteria is met. One of those criteria is being named to an All-NBA team in the most recent season.

Another way to ink that bonus is to win Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), which was done by Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, who was selected two picks after Cunningham in 2021. Mobley was also named to an All-NBA team, but he had already locked up his money by winning DPOY.

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Bonuses like these are always good for players, but not necessarily so for teams. Cleveland, which is already due to pay the luxury tax next season, might be forced to lose a role player such as Sam Merrill or Ty Jerome after allocating additional millions of dollars to Mobley. Detroit, on the other hand, with at least $10 million in cap space according to Spotrac, is probably happy to pay its franchise player what he’s worth.

Cunningham averaged career highs across the board, with 26.1 points per game (ninth in NBA), 9.1 assists per game (fourth in NBA) and 6.1 rebounds per game. He was also a finalist for Most Improved Player award, which does not carry any financial weight.

Perhaps more impressive than Cunningham’s individual numbers was his impact on the team. The Pistons went 44-38 in the regular season, an improvement of 29 wins over last season and the sixth-largest single-season increase ever. The five teams with bigger turnarounds did so by adding the following players by trade, free agency, or the draft: Garnett, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Steve Nash and Larry Bird. The 2025 Pistons, on the other hand, added Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley—two well-traveled veterans who have never made an All-Star or All-NBA squad.

Cunningham earned his bag, but some players with money on the line did not. The Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr., for instance, did not make an All-NBA team this season, which would have made him eligible for a five-year “supermax” extension worth roughly $345 million. Typically, players cannot sign deals worth more than 30% of the cap until the start of their 10th season, but All-NBA status allows players to secure a salary worth 35% of the cap before their eighth or ninth season.

Jackson Jr.’s snub also puts the Grizzlies in a pickle. They can now only offer him a typical “veteran extension” instead of a max contract this summer, meaning their All-Star big man may choose to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 and try to get a bigger paycheck at that point.

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ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst, along with many other voters, has been transparent about the fact that, in the case of a tie, he’ll vote for a player who’s eligible for a raise. “Evan Mobley and Jaren Jackson are both guys who, if they make All-NBA, they get the bonus,” Windhorst said on The Bill Simmons Podcast in April. “I have a rule that if you’re close [and there’s money at stake], I put you on. I did this with Jaylen Brown two years ago.”

The initial idea behind the system in place was to reward the league’s extraordinary young players with higher wages. The problematic effect is that the votes of 100 potentially biased members of the media can cause significant salary changes for a few players every season.

Ultimately, though, the players agreed to this status quo when they signed the CBA, and a better alternative isn’t clear.

“The players don’t trust the owners. The owners don’t trust the players. The players can’t be trusted to pick the other players. The fans can’t be trusted at all,” Windhorst said. “So is the media perfect? Hell no. But we’re the best of the options.”

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(This story has been updated in the sixth paragraph to correct Detroit’s available salary cap space number.)

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Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung Crime Thriller ‘Made in Korea’ Sets Disney+ Debut

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Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung Crime Thriller ‘Made in Korea’ Sets Disney+ Debut

Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung go head-to-head in “Made in Korea,” a 1970s crime noir that launches Dec. 24 on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere.

The series stars Hyun Bin (“Crash Landing on You,” “Confidential Assignment”) as Baek Kitae, an ambitious KCIA agent in 1970s South Korea who leads a dangerous double life. By day, he works as a government operative, while by night he runs an illegal operation, using his underworld connections to consolidate power, protect his brother and generate substantial revenue for the agency.

Jung Woo-sung (“Tell Me That You Love Me,” “12.12: The Day”) co-stars as Jang Geonyoung, an incorruptible prosecutor determined to bring Kitae down. Woo Dohwan (“Bloodhounds,” “Mr. Plankton”) plays Kitae’s brother Baek Kihyun.

The series is written by Park Eunkyo (“Mother,” “A Normal Family,” “The Silent Sea”) and Park Joonseok (“A Normal Family”), directed by Woo Minho (“The Man Standing Next,” “Inside Men,” “Harbin”), and produced by Hive Media Corp (“Inside Men,” “The Man Standing Next,” “12.12: The Day”).

Following the two-episode premiere, “Made in Korea” will release two additional episodes on Dec. 31, with the final two episodes rolling out weekly through Jan. 14. The series has already been renewed for a second season, which is currently in production.

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The thriller joins Disney+’s expanding slate of Korean drama content that launched in 2025, including “Unmasked,” “Nine Puzzles,” “Hyper Knife,” “Low Life,” “The Murky Stream” and “Tempest.”

The streamer has additional Korean series slated for 2026, including “Gold Land” starring Park Boyoung, “Perfect Crown” starring IU and Byeon Wooseok, and the return of “A Shop for Killers” for a second season with Lee Dongwook and Kim Hyejun.

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Pope Leo XIV says he’s ‘very disappointed’ after Illinois approves assisted suicide law

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Pope Leo XIV says he’s ‘very disappointed’ after Illinois approves assisted suicide law

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Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday he was “very disappointed” after his home state of Illinois approved a law allowing medically assisted suicide.

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Leo, who grew up in Chicago, said he had spoken “explicitly” with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker while the legislation was on his desk and urged him not to sign the bill into law, saying the measure undermines respect for human life from “the very beginning to the very end.”

“Unfortunately, for different reasons, he decided to sign that bill,” Leo told reporters outside Rome. “I am very disappointed about that.”

The Medical Aid in Dying Act, also referred to as “Deb’s Law,” was signed into law by Pritzker on Dec. 12 and allows eligible terminally ill adult patients to obtain life-ending medication after consultation with their doctors.

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Pope Leo XIV met with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on Nov. 19 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Simone Risoluti – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

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The measure was named after Deb Robertson, a lifelong Illinois resident with a rare terminal illness who had pushed for the bill’s approval.

The law takes effect in September 2026, giving participating healthcare providers and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) time to implement required processes and protections.

Leo said Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich also urged Pritzker not to sign the bill, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

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Pope Leo XIV said he was very disappointed” that Illinois passed a law allowing medically assisted suicide. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)

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“I would invite all people, especially in these Christmas days, to reflect upon the nature of human life, the goodness of human life,” Leo said. “God became human like us to show us what it means really to live human life, and I hope and pray that the respect for life will once again grow in all moments of human existence, from conception to natural death.”

The state’s six Catholic dioceses have also criticized Pritzker’s decision to sign the bill, saying it puts Illinois “on a dangerous and heartbreaking path.”

Illinois joins a growing list of states allowing medically assisted suicide. Eleven other states and the District of Columbia allow medically assisted suicide, according to the advocacy group, Death with Dignity, and seven other states are considering allowing it.

After signing the bill, Pritzker said the legislation would allow patients with terminal illnesses to “avoid unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of their lives,” and said it would be “thoughtfully implemented” to guide physicians and patients through deeply personal decisions.

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act on Dec. 12, allowing eligible terminally ill adult patients to obtain life-ending medication after consultation with their doctors. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Europeans show solidarity with Denmark after Trump’s Greenland threat

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Europeans show solidarity with Denmark after Trump’s Greenland threat

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Exactly one year after Donald Trump first announced his intention to integrate Greenland into US territory on grounds of “national protection”, he’s back for more.

The US president has appointed Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as the new US special envoy for Greenland with the stated objective of “integrating Greenland into the United States” and repeated the US needs the territory for its national security.

His comments have been taken seriously by EU heads of state and government, who are presenting a united front against what they describe as American expansionist ambitions towards the autonomous territory, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

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France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, both responded to the announcement by reaffirming their support for the integrity of Denmark’s territory.

“Greenland belongs to its people. Denmark stands as its guarantor. I join my voice to that of Europeans in expressing our full solidarity.”

On Tuesday, Trump told reporters the United States “needs Greenland for national security, not for minerals or oil, but national security. And if you take a look at Greenland, there are Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. So, we need this for protection.”

He also chastised Denmark for what he described neglecting the territory, “they have spent no money, they have no military protection, they say Denmark arrived there 300 years ago with boats – we were there with boats too, I’m sure. We’ll have to work it all out.”

Adding to the European voices pushing back on the US ambitions and the criticism of Denmark, Commission Ursula von der Leyen insisted that “territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law”. Despite the tone coming out of Washington, she appeared to refer to the US as an ally in arctic security.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez echoed those remarks. “Respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity is central to the EU and to all nations of the world,” he wrote on X. “Security in the Arctic is a priority in which we seek to work with allies and partners.”

The US and Denmark are part of NATO, which is supposed to ensure mutual defence in the event of aggression against one of its members. That principle has never been tested by conflict between members of the alliance if one were to seize territory from another.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has so far remained silent on the issue. During a press conference with Trump in the White House’s Oval Office in March, he also chose not to comment after a question from a journalist.

“When it comes to Greenland, if it joins the US or not, I will leave that outside of me in this discussion because I don’t want to drag NATO into that,” he said.

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