Skip to main content
Join Now

NBA star Cade Cunningham honors recently deceased high school basketball coach

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by: Keegan Pope02/10/26bykeeganpope

Detroit Pistons star forward Cade Cunningham might’ve graduated from powerhouse Montverde Academy (Fla.), but his high school basketball stardom began long before that. Cunningham broke onto the national scene as a freshman at Arlington Bowie (Texas), playing alongside future Texas A&M and Houston standout Kyler Edwards.

The duo, coached by Allen Gratts, helped Bowie reach the District 6A Region I final that year and launched Cunningham onto the radar as an elite prospect.

Over the weekend, Gratts died suddenly at the age of 59, sending shockwaves though the Texas high school basketball community. The longtime Bowie head coach retired last season after 25 years helming the program, as well as serving as the school’s athletic coordinator.

Following Detroit’s 110-104 win over Charlotte Monday night, Cunningham spoke to reporters about the impact his former high school coach had on his game — and his life.

“My high school coach Allen Gratts passed away last night; I just want to dedicate this game to him,” Cunningham said. “Anyone who is watching from back home, we stick together. But Coach Gratts was a big part of my life, and so I’m just thankful for the people that helped me along this journey to get to where I’m at today. I know he’s looking down, but I just wanted to pray for my school, pray for his family, his friends that are involved. And I just hope I continue to make him proud.”

Cunningham later posted on Instagram: “Gonna miss you coach. You built more than players…you built men. Thanks for everything.”

Texas roots run deep for Cunningham

An Arlington native, Cunningham holds the city in deep regard and even attended his high school jersey retirement ceremony there with the entire Pistons team in December.

After his two years there, he moved on to national power Montverde, becoming the No. 1 overall recruit in the country. He signed with Oklahoma State and played with the Cowboys for one season before being selected as the top pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

At the pro level, he was twice been named an All-Star in his first four years and helped lead the Pistons to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. He helped engineer a 30-win improvement from 2023-24 to 2024-25, and they currently sit as the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference this season, leading New York by 5.5 games.

Cunningham finished top-10 in the MVP voting a year ago, and is having another terrific season, averaging 25.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 9.3 assists while shooting 46% from the field.