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The NBA’s 65-game rule, forcing players to play in at least 65 regular season games in order to be eligible for end-of-season awards, has received mixed reviews from fans and players.
Several fans believe it incentivizes stars to play in games, creating a better product for people in attendance. Others believe such a rule being implemented while individual players may have clauses in their contracts that offer bonuses for earning end-of-season awards creates a system that hurts players for situations that often are out of their control, such as injuries or family emergencies.
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Well, it appears the NBA has heard these complaints and is making an adjustment.
Although neither the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham nor the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic played in 65 regular season games, both have been reinstated for end-of-season awards.
The NBA announced that Cunningham (63 games played) would be exempt “due in part to missing 12 games as a result of a collapsed lung that was diagnosed on March 17.” Meanwhile Doncic (64 games played) earned exemption “due in part to missing two games to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia.”
Here’s what to know.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Ethan Thompson defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Will these exemption keep up moving forward?
The decisions to re-implement both Doncic and Cunningham came as part of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) under the “extraordinary circumstances provision.”
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However, the league did not reveal what exactly constitutes an extraordinary circumstance, only that both Cunningham and Doncic applied.
That said, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards didn’t receive an exemption. Edwards played in 60 games — or 61 when counting the game where he played only three minutes, which the league did not count — and filed “an extraordinary circumstances challenge under the CBA, seeking award eligibility before an independent arbitrator.”
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Publish date : 2026-04-16 19:11:00
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