At a YMCA basketball game during the mid-2000s in Texas, Cade Cunningham stood between the top of the key and the elbow with a smirk on his face. Cunningham, draped in a blue jersey with the No. 23, was only about 5 years old, but he was the main attraction during a dead-ball situation. His right shoelace came undone, and for safety precautions, a referee decided to tie Cunningham’s laces during the stoppage. “I was having my way back then,” Cunningham told The Detroit News, with a smile. “I was just trying to learn the game. That’s like the beginning stages, trying to fall in love with the sport. I was just having fun.”