Doncic and Cunningham Eligible for NBA Awards Despite Not Meeting Games Played Requirement
The NBA has announced that Luka Doncic, of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Cade Cunningham, of the Detroit Pistons, will be eligible for end-of-season awards, including the prestigious MVP. This decision was made despite the fact that both players did not reach the minimum of 65 games played in the regular season, as established by the regulations. The league issued an official statement explaining the situation: “The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have agreed, in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), that Cade Cunningham and Luka Doncic are eligible for all annual regular season awards for the 2025-26 NBA season.”Doncic participated in 64 games during the regular season, one short of the required minimum. Cunningham, for his part, played in 63 games. The absence of Doncic in some games was due to his trip to Slovenia for the birth of his daughter. Currently, Doncic is recovering from a hamstring injury, with no defined return date. Despite this, he had an outstanding performance, averaging 37.5 points per game in March, which boosted his MVP candidacy. Cunningham, who led the Pistons, suffered a collapsed lung that prevented him from playing twelve games between March and April. It’s important to note that, although Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves also requested an exception based on “extraordinary circumstances,” his request was rejected by the NBA. The 65-game rule, implemented at the start of the 2023-24 season, requires players to participate in that number of games, with a minimum of 20 minutes played in each, to be eligible for awards. This rule has generated criticism, especially from coaches and former players, because it has prevented several stars from being considered for awards due to injuries.“Considering all the circumstances for Cunningham and Dončić, each player qualified for the awards under the extraordinary circumstances provision of the collective bargaining agreement,” the league clarified.
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