NBA Players Union Calls for Rule Change After Star Players Face Award Bans

The NBA Players Association is pushing to modify the league's 65-game minimum requirement for major awards after several star players, including Detroit's Cade Cunningham, face potential disqualification. The union argues the current rule unfairly penalizes players who miss games due to legitimate injuries rather than rest.

The National Basketball Players Association is advocating for changes to the NBA’s 65-game minimum requirement for major awards, citing concerns that deserving athletes are being unfairly excluded from recognition due to injury-related absences.

Detroit’s Cade Cunningham has become the latest example of the rule’s impact, as his qualification for honors like All-NBA team selection remains uncertain. The guard has participated in 61 contests this season and faces additional missed games while dealing with a collapsed lung injury.

The players union, which originally agreed to the requirement through collective bargaining negotiations, now believes modifications are necessary.

“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,” the union said through a spokesperson. “Since its implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.”

The attendance requirement will affect numerous high-profile athletes this season. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers will see his remarkable 21-season streak of All-NBA selections come to an end. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Golden State’s Stephen Curry have also exceeded the absence limit for award consideration.

Several MVP candidates find themselves approaching the eligibility threshold, including Denver’s Nikola Jokic and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama. However, leading MVP contenders Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from Oklahoma City and Luka Doncic of the Lakers maintain their qualification status with room for additional absences.

Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell recently expressed mixed feelings about the policy during weekend comments to cleveland.com.

“It’s for the right reasons, but it’s tough,” Mitchell said. “We get paid money to be out there, but there’s certain things you can’t control. It’s not like guys are resting and missing these games. These are legitimate injuries, so it’s something to look at for sure because there’s no way certain guys should be in this scenario.”

The league does provide limited exceptions to the 65-game standard. Players who compete in at least 62 games before suffering a season-ending injury may still qualify for awards, though this provision would not benefit Cunningham’s situation.