Cunningham committed to playing college basketball for Oklahoma State, becoming the most heralded recruit to ever do so, and was named a consensus first-team All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year after his freshman season with the team. He won a gold medal with the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. He was selected with the first overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 2021 NBA Draft.