The NBA implemented a player participation policy with the introduction of the league’s new CBA. Starting with the 2023-24 campaign, to be eligible for postseason awards such as the NBA MVP and including All-NBA teams, a player must suit up and play in at least 65 games during the course of that season.
This season, things have gotten wonky.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander play at an NBA MVP level as the league’s reigning winner. As the Denver Nuggets have with their Superstar Nikola Jokic. Without these restrictions in place, it would be a two-man race for the hardware between these divisional foes,
However, Jokic can only stand to miss one more game this season to remain eligible for postseason awards and by the end of Tuesday’s tilt with the Chicago Bulls, Gilgeous-Alexander will only have five more games of wiggle room to work with before becoming ineligible to defend his crown as the NBA MVP.
Mix in the injuries to Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, and Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic, and you get the possibility of a shocking MVP winner, much less the record-book-altering All-NBA teams that will not reflect the time period as clearly as in years past.
The hope remains that Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander hit the 65-game threshold to maintain their eligibility, even as the Thunder list their superstar as out tonight against the Bulls on the front end of a back-to-back for injury management.
On Friday, after the Thunder’s overtime win over the Denver Nuggets in Gilgeous-Alexander’s first game back from a nine-game stint in street clothes due to an abdominal strain, the Thunder superstar was asked for his thoughts on this rule.
“Health is first and foremost. If I couldn’t go tonight, I wouldn’t force it. Or if I couldn’t go into the next six, I wouldn’t force it for the requirement. Just because my health is first and foremost over awards and things like that. Now I don’t mind the rule,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Because in history, the guys who have won awards have played most of the seasons. Whether there’s a hard line or not, you have to play most of the games most of the time. It’s 65% of them or 65 out of the 82 to win an award as well. I think it’s reasonable.”
This is a measured answer from the four time All-Star who is accurate. To find an NBA MVP winner that failed to meet this requirement during a full 82 game schedule you would need to dip all the way back into the NBA archives to the 1977-78 season when Bill Walton took home the honor after playing in just 58 games, edging out George Gervin who participated in all 82 tilts.
Given the designation for Gilgeous-Alexander tonight in Chicago, it is expected for the OKC Thunder superstar to be on the hardwood Wednesday in New York as the Bricktown Ballers battle the Knicks.