Cade Cunningham Acknowledges Jalen Green Rivalry: 'We Both Kinda Know What It Is'

Cade Cunningham seemingly acknowledged his rivalry with Jalen Green

"It's exactly that, we want to compete against each other," Cunningham said on TNT's NBA Tuesday when asked about the rivalry. "They've always put us up against each other since high school as far as who is better, and I think we both kind of enjoy to be able to head up against each other and see who's the best."

When asked if they ever exchanged handshakes before, during, or after the game, Cunningham replied, "I don't think we need any of that. We both kind of know what it is."

Shaquille O'Neal interrupted Cunningham to say he wasn't buying his explanation, and labeled it a "corporate answer," to which the Detroit Pistons star confirmed with a sly "you know" response.

The initial question came after the Pistons beat the Houston Rockets on Monday night, 107-96. Cunningham had the better game as he put up 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Green had 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. After the game, Cunningham spoke about Green and how good he's been this year.

"He's been having a great year. It's something I expected. I knew he was a big-time player in high school coming up. I knew he was going to find his footing in the NBA, same as me," said Cunningham. "I think we're just on our paths, and I'm not surprised at all."

People have long complained about the lack of competition between players, who come up together on the same AAU teams or camps and develop natural friendships. That seemingly wasn't the case for Cunningham and Green.

After this notable Team USA U-18 scrimmage, they were later selected first and second overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and labeled future franchise players.

According to Green's father, Enoch Green, the competitive dynamic between Cade and Jalen will never die, given how long they've played each other.

"It goes all the way back to the summers before high school," Enoch Green told The Athletic on Monday night. "Between eighth and ninth grade, when they really started playing AAU ball, they started locking in. That's how far it goes back."