The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is calling for the abolishment of the league’s 65-game rule following a likely season-ending injury to Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham.
The NBPA released a statement Tuesday calling for the rule to either be eliminated or changed with Cunningham unlikely to be eligible for any end-of-season awards.
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The union’s full statement read:
“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. Since it’s implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.”
The 65-game rule requires NBA players to take part in at least 65 games during the regular season in order to be eligible for end-of-season awards. Cunningham played in 61 games before sustaining a collapsed lung during a March 17 game against the Washington Wizards. Cunningham was initially ruled out for two weeks due to the injury, but there are reports suggesting he won’t be able to return until the playoffs — if he’s able to return at all.
If that’s the case, Cunningham would not be eligible to make the All-NBA team. The 24-year-old — who was named to the third-team All-NBA team last season — was once again in line for the honor after averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds this season.
He’s far from the only NBA star who likely won’t be eligible for end-of-season awards. Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler are among the biggest names who are already ineligible to win any end-of-season awards this year. A handful of other prominent players are close to that cutoff with roughly a dozen games to go in the regular season.
This story will be updated.
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