LeBron James had not been in the Eastern Conference for over eight years after over a decade of reigning over the conference when he was with the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers.Â
The East has never looked this powerful since LeBron left for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. Detroit Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham welcomed back LeBron to the conference in his interview with DJ Saddiqi of Ratings.Â
Cade Cunningham Welcomes Back LeBron James To The East
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 30: Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons controls the ball against Lebron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on December 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Cunningham welcomed Jamesâ addition to the Philadelphia 76ers and the competition they will bring to the East. Notably, the Pistons are the No. 1 seed in the East during the 2025-2026 NBA season.Â
âI like it, itâs fun. Itâs fun for the game,â Cunningham said. âTheyâre gonna be tough to beat. Obviously, they got all that talent over there, guys that play both ends of the ball, theyâre gonna be tough to beat. But thatâs the exciting part about it is the competition. I love the competition. LeBronâs in the East again, itâs good for everybody.â
Cunningham also called James a âblockbusterâ to the East and he is excited to see him play in the 2026-2027 NBA season.Â
âYeah, I mean, itâs just funny to see LeBron. Itâs just crazy to see that. You know, obviously heâs blockbuster, so thatâs good, him coming back to the East. Iâm excited,â he said.Â
Cunningham was the engine of the Pistonsâ breakthrough performance in the 2025-2026 NBA season. Cunningham averaged 23.9 points, 9.9 assists (second in the NBA), and 5.5 rebounds per game across 64 regular-season games while shooting 46.1% from the field.
Pistons won 60 games in the regular season with Cunningham leading the way.Â
The Pistons went as far as Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs but lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jamesâ former team.Â
Meanwhile, James joined a stacked 76ers crew led by former MVP Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and former NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, who was traded from the Boston Celtics.Â
76ers also reached the second round last season but lost to the eventual NBA champions New York Knicks in a sweep.Â
Cade Cunningham Opens Up About Improving His Game For Next Season
GettyCLEVELAND, OHIO – MAY 15: Cade Cunningham #2 celebrates with Daniss Jenkins #24 of the Detroit Pistons during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Six of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Rocket Arena on May 15, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
With a reloaded Eastern Conference next season, Cade Cunningham is looking at every aspect of his game to improve as he braces for tougher competition.
âThere are so many areas that can grow,â Cunningham said in the same interview with Saddiqi. âBasketball is such a fluid game, as far as thereâs so many situations that youâre in. So to be better in all those situations, the different aspects of the game â inches can win games. So Iâm looking into everything. I want to get better at everything. I focus on things on certain days, but I try to think about the game as a whole versus just one side of it, or just certain skills.â
The Pistons also improved their roster this offseason with the addition of John Collins and Isaiah Joe, adding floor spacing and another lob threat to the squadâs heliocentric offense.Â
The team is also in the middle of negotiations with All-NBA big Jalen Duren, who was Cunninghamâs main pick-and-roll partner last season.Â
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