The National Basketball Players Association has demanded that the NBA's 65-game rule for award eligibility be abolished or reformed, citing Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham's potential disqualification due to a collapsed lung. Cunningham needs to play five more games despite the injury to qualify. The union highlighted the rule's unfairness to injured players.
The National Basketball Players Association issued a statement on Tuesday, obtained by the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds, criticizing the 65-game rule introduced in the 2023-24 season. The rule requires players to participate in at least 65 games—defined as playing 20 minutes or more, with up to two games counting if between 15 and 20 minutes—to be eligible for awards such as Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, All-NBA, and All-Defensive teams. The NBPA argued that Cade Cunningham's situation exemplifies the rule's flaws. Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung just five minutes into his 61st game last week and must return on April 4 to play in all five of Detroit's remaining games to reach the threshold. His injury does not qualify for the rule's exception, which applies only to players who have logged at least 62 games (85% of their team's schedule) and suffer a season-ending injury late in the season. On the Pistons, Isaiah Stewart and Daniss Jenkins are also sidelined from awards consideration despite potential candidacy for All-Defense and Most Improved Player, respectively, due to games that won't count under the criteria. Stewart told CBS Sports this month that he was 'pissed off' about the rule last season and had contacted the NBPA, which echoed his concerns. Other stars face similar risks: Victor Wembanyama has two games of leeway, while Nikola Jokić, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Edwards each have one. The NBPA stated: 'Cade Cunningham's potential ineligibility for postseason awards after a career-defining season is a clear indictment of the 65-game rule and yet another example of why it must be abolished or reformed to create an exception for significant injuries. Since its implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.'
