Overview
- Following Tuesday’s union statement, the NBPA urged the league to abolish or reform the awards rule after Detroit’s Cade Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung and sits at 61 games.
- Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday the policy is working and he will not judge it by one hard case, even as he acknowledged the sense of unfairness some see.
- The rule counts only games of 20 or more minutes, allows two games between 15 and 20 minutes, and offers a narrow season-ending injury exception at 62 games that does not cover Cunningham.
- Falling short can cost players All-NBA and MVP consideration and the bigger extensions tied to those honors, with stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Giannis Antetokounmpo already ineligible and Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama near the cutoff.
- Any change will require league–union negotiation under the 2023 CBA, with outlets noting different angles: the AP highlights the union previously agreed to the rule, CBS floats fixes like lowering the quota or minutes bar, and Fox underscores player concerns about injuries and fairness.