The NBA’s 65-game rule is under increasing scrutiny, and the National Basketball Players Association is now openly calling for change. Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham has become the latest high-profile case, with his eligibility for end-of-season honours hanging in the balance due to injury.
Despite what many view as a breakout campaign, Cunningham has appeared in just 61 games and is expected to miss more while recovering from a collapsed lung.
The NBPA didn’t hold back in its response.
“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.”
Cunningham’s camp echoed that frustration, with his agent Jeff Schwartz speaking to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“Cade has delivered a first-team All-NBA season,” Schwartz said. “If he falls just short of an arbitrary games-played threshold due to legitimate injury, it should not disqualify him from recognition he has clearly earned over the course of the season. The league should be rewarding excellence, not enforcing rigid cutoffs that ignore context. An exception needs to be made.”
He’s not alone. Several stars are either already ruled out or dangerously close to missing eligibility, including LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Stephen Curry. Even MVP contenders like Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama are hovering near the limit.
Players across the league are beginning to question whether the rule is doing more harm than intended.
“It’s for the right reasons, but it’s tough,” Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell said, via Cleveland.com. “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.”
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