Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham get green light for NBA Awards despite 65-game rule

The NBA’s 65-game rule was designed to reward durability—but this season, it also made room for context.

In a rare application of the league’s “extraordinary circumstances” clause, both Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham have been cleared for postseason award eligibility despite falling just short of the required threshold.

The decision, announced jointly by the NBA and the NBPA, underscores a nuanced approach—one that considers not just numbers, but the stories behind them.

Doncic, who appeared in 64 games in his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers, had his case shaped by moments far bigger than basketball. Two of his absences came in December, when he traveled to Slovenia for the birth of his daughter, while a late-season hamstring injury sidelined him for the team’s final stretch.

“I am grateful to the NBPA for advocating on my behalf and to the NBA for their fair decision,” Doncic wrote on X. “It was so important to me to be present for the birth of my daughter in December and I appreciate Mark (Walter, majority owner), Jeanie (Buss, governor/minority owner), Rob (Pelinka, president of basketball operations/general manager), JJ (Redick, coach), and the entire Lakers organization for fully supporting me and allowing me to travel to be there. 

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Breaking: The NBA and NBPA have ruled in favor of Lakers’ Luka Doncic and Pistons’ Cade Cunningham on their Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge for the 65-game award rule, making both eligible for all 2025-26 season honors such as MVP and All-NBA teams, sources tell… pic.twitter.com/59IGBXa298

— ESPN (@espn) April 16, 2026

“This season has been so special to me because of what my teammates and I have been able to accomplish, and I am honored to have the opportunity to be considered for the league’s end-of-season awards.”

On the court, his case remains undeniable. The 27-year-old put up a league-best 33.5 points per game, alongside 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds—numbers that firmly place him in the Most Valuable Player conversation.

Cunningham’s path, meanwhile, was defined by resilience.

The Detroit Pistons star also played 64 games, missing significant time late in the season after suffering a collapsed lung. Despite the setback, his body of work—a career-best 23.9 points and 9.9 assists per game—proved enough to warrant consideration under the same exception.

“The NBA and NBPA agreed that, taking into account the totality of the circumstances for Cunningham and Doncic, each player qualified for awards under the extraordinary circumstances provision in the CBA,” the league and union said in a news release.

Not all cases, however, met that threshold.

Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves saw his appeal denied after appearing in 60 games, leaving him ineligible despite posting a career-high 28.8 points per outing.

The contrast highlights the fine line the league is now walking—balancing availability with circumstance, production with context. 

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