Pistons' Cade Cunningham Reportedly Took 530-Mile Car Ride to Detroit After Collapsed Lung Injury

Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham reportedly took a lengthy car ride back to Detroit after suffering a collapsed lung during a road game against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, Cunningham took a car service approximately 530 miles back home as his collapsed lung wouldn't respond well to the drastic changes in air pressure that could take place on Detroit's team flight.

"So not long before tipoff in D.C., Cunningham entered a car, ready for the eight-hour drive back to Detroit, uncertain of both his and the Pistons' immediate futures," Katz reported Friday.

The Pistons announced Thursday that Cunningham was diagnosed with a collapsed lung and would be re-evaluated in two weeks.

The 24-year-old is set to miss at least eight games while he recovers, although ESPN's Shams Charania reported that "there is some optimism that Cunningham will be back in time for the start of the playoffs."

Detroit has 13 games remaining in the regular season, with the playoffs beginning on April 18.

Cunningham is in the midst of a stellar 2025-26 campaign, leading a Pistons squad that owns the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference standings with a 50-19 record.

The two-time All-Star is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from behind the arc.