標籤: 65game

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the growing criticism of the league’s 65-game rule following Cade Cunningham’s recent injury, as the debate rages about postseason award eligibility.

Speaking Wednesday, Silver responded to concerns raised by the National Basketball Players Association after Cunningham’s situation sparked a renewed investigation into the policy. This rule, implemented to ensure that players meet minimum participation thresholds for major awards, has faced backlash for potentially disqualifying standout seasons marred by injury.

ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel shared Silver’s comments on X, formerly known as Twitter:

“I’m not willing to say it’s not working. It’s working… I’m not willing to say because there’s a sense of injustice to a player, that the rule doesn’t work.”

The NBPA issued a statement Tuesday criticizing the rule in light of Cunningham’s case:

“Cade Cunningham’s potential ineligibility for postseason awards after a career-defining season is a clear indictment of the 65-game rule and is another example of why it should be eliminated or reformed to make exceptions for significant injuries. Since its implementation, many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from season-ending honors by this arbitrary and overly harsh quota.”

Cade Cunningham’s award eligibility in jeopardy after injury

Cunningham, 24, has been in the midst of a breakout fifth season with the Detroit Pistons, averaging 24.5 points, a career-high 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds and a career-best 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 46.1% from the field and 34.6% from three-point range in 61 games, logging 34.4 minutes per contest.

His production has played a central role in leading Detroit to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Pistons have a record of 52–19 and currently sit as the No. 1 seed as the regular season enters its final stretch.

However, Cunningham’s award eligibility is now in question after he suffered a collapsed lung last Wednesday. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, he is expected to miss an “extended amount of time”, leaving it uncertain whether he will reach the 65-game limit.

The situation has intensified league-wide discussion about balancing player health with awards criteria, as the NBA and NBPA continue to evaluate the long-term effects of the rule.

There has recently been discussion in the NBA of a 65-game rule that does not allow players to receive any awards at the end of the season if they do not meet the criteria. Cade Cunningham is expected to miss the rest of the regular season due to a bad lung, keeping him from making the All-NBA team despite the season he spent for the Detroit Pistons.

There are some who are in favor of the 65-game rule, while others believe the rule should be stricter. Jaylen Brown believes in the latter, but he also doesn’t believe people should back down from the former stance after Cunningham’s injury.

“When it first became the 65-game rule, everyone was in support of it,” Brown said on his Twitch stream. “At the time, people were talking about people who were load managing, and there were a lot of complaints about load management. There were a lot of complaints about superstars not playing. Now they move the norm to 65, and now it seems like the popular opinion is that it’s time to get rid of 65.”

Jaylen Brown talks about the 65 Game criteria on his live stream and asks fans to change their opinion on it 👀

“Everyone was supporting it, because people were doing load management, now suddenly people don’t want it.” pic.twitter.com/98ntmaR023

– 𝓖𝓪𝓮𝓮 🍀 (@gabe_blessed) 25 March 2026

Brown said he wished it were 62 games instead of 65, but he had no problem with the norm.

“It was the opposite of what I thought at first, that guys would play 40 or 50 games and then be drafted to All-NBA teams,” Brown said. They’ll play half the season, and their numbers will be better because they’ve only played half the games compared to someone who played 70, 68, or 72 games. That’s a big difference.”

The rules allow for awards to players who have played most of the season, but it is unfortunate when someone like Cunningham is lost late in the season and does not win the award he deserves. It’s uncertain whether the league will make any rule changes, but it wouldn’t be a surprise.

In the wake of Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham’s recent lung injury, he is now in danger of not qualifying for the NBA’s 65-game rule to be eligible for postseason award honors. As a result, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the National Basketball Players Association, or NBPA, came out with a prepared statement in support of Cade Cunningham and called on the NBA to get rid of the 65-game rule for postseason honors.

The NBPA wrote, “Cade Cunningham’s potential ineligibility for postseason awards after a career-defining season is a clear indictment of the 65-game rule and is another example of why it should be eliminated or reformed to make exceptions for significant injuries.” “Since its implementation, too many eligible players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by the arbitrary and overly stringent quota.”

Cade Cunningham has been a potential MVP candidate, and is almost certain to make the All-NBA team. But he’s only played 61 games so far, and with the Pistons only having 11 games remaining in the regular season, it appears to be an uphill battle in terms of qualifying for the NBA’s 65-game rule.

Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung during the Pistons’ win against the Washington Wizards on March 19. He was expected to be reevaluated in two weeks due to the injury, leaving him with six games remaining and about a week and a half before the end of the season.

The Pistons have been the top team in the Eastern Conference this season due to Cunningham’s MVP level play. He has appeared in 61 games at a rate of just over 34 minutes per game. He averaged 24.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 9.9 assists and 1.5 steals, including 46.1 percent shooting from the field, 34.6 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 81.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

On Thursday, it was reported by ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania that Detroit Pistons star point guard Cade Cunningham will miss an extended period of time due to a damaged lung. The scary situation comes as the Pistons prepare for a playoff run, in which they will likely be the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

Depending on how much time Cunningham misses, it is possible he could miss eligibility for end-of-season NBA awards, including First Team All-NBA and others that require a player to appear in a minimum of 65 games.

If Cunningham does indeed miss the cut, it would spark further backlash over award eligibility rules. The league first implemented the 65-game minimum in an effort to reduce load management, which, in fairness, was a very real concern at the time, and still is to some extent. It’s also true that the best ability is availability, and there’s certainly a limit to how much value a player can provide to his team if he’s consistently out of the lineup for any reason.

However, if Cunningham does indeed miss out on eligibility, All-NBA teams could feature some faces that many fans may not have seen play at that level on the court. Players like Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are already teetering on the edge of eligibility due to previous injury absences, as is San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.

Cunningham not getting recognition at the end of the season could potentially be the last nail in the coffin that forces the NBA to make changes this offseason.

For now, Cunningham is being considered a possible candidate for First Team All-NBA and the league MVP award.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Ahead of Friday’s showdown between MVP candidate Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets and All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, coach David Edelman had an interesting thing to say. Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander are recovering from injuries that have kept them out of a lot of games. Many wondered whether any of them would be able to reach the NBA’s 65-game requirement to qualify for the MVP award.

For the third consecutive season, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic are the two leading candidates for MVP. Before Friday’s matchup, Edelman addressed the league 65-game regular-season requirement For NBA awards and how it could affect Jokic and SGA’s tight race.

“The rules weren’t made for them. They both got hurt. They both play all the time. So, that part of it — maybe we have to look at that. I really mean that. That’s one of the best things about both guys,” Edelman said. “When a fan buys a ticket, they’re going to play. And they’ve done that for years, and our guy’s been doing that for a very long time. Him missing a game, him missing a practice, him missing a workout, it’s really tough on that guy.

“He’s a regular-based player, which is good for our game, good for the fans, and Shai is the same way. That’s one of the most impressive things about both guys. So, when both guys get hurt, I don’t look at it as a comfort. I think there’s a difference, and I know why the rule is there — it’s to clean things up. It makes sense to me and to the fan.”

While the 65-game rule forces teams to play their stars regardless of their record, Nuggets coach David Edelman understands the importance of fans attending games. He doesn’t think this rule should apply to guys like Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander, who rarely miss games intentionally.

“It’s the worst when your bus is parking, and you see kids in jerseys, and they show up, and that guy doesn’t play,” Edelman said. “I look at it both ways, but in the spirit of the game, I think Shai and Nicola have been great for the league over the years. I hope that’s taken into account as we move forward.”

David Edelman’s strong opinion on SGA and Jokic’s MVP race in relation to the NBA’s 65-game rule: “The rule wasn’t made for them. They both get hurt. They both play all the time. So, that part of it – maybe we have to take a look at that…

There is a difference and I know why the rule is… pic.twitter.com/IWRsNt7krz

-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 28 February 2026

Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander return for Nuggets

After missing the past nine games, Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returns from an abdominal injury for Friday’s contest against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. It’s always must-see TV when Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic are going at it.

After last year’s Western Conference Semifinals best-of-7 series, where the Thunder and Nuggets played Game 7 at Paycom Center, this should be another playoff-like intensity with SGA and Jokic taking center stage.