Overview
- Commissioner Adam Silver reaffirmed that the 65-game requirement for award eligibility is working, despite several stars falling short this season.
- Luka Dončić’s agent, Bill Duffy, plans an extraordinary-circumstances appeal seeking credit for games missed during the birth of Dončić’s daughter after the guard finished with 64 appearances due to a hamstring setback.
- The NBPA has urged the rule be abolished or reworked, pointing to cases like Cade Cunningham’s collapsed lung that left the Pistons guard at 61 games and ineligible.
- Under the policy, a game only counts if a player logs at least 20 minutes, with up to two near-miss games between 15 and 20 minutes allowed, plus a narrow exception for season-ending injuries under strict criteria.
- A number of marquee players are ineligible for awards this year, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, and LeBron James, while the league has set a May Board meeting on tanking without signaling changes to the 65-game rule.