The NBA’s 65-game rule isn’t fair to players or media members who vote on awards.
Voting for awards shouldn’t have so many rules.
The 65-game benchmark is unnecessary for trying to fix something voters have no control over — when players play — and forces voters to reward players who might not be deserving of league-wide honors.
Most voters take the responsibility seriously. I always have when given the privilege. In recent years, though, the vote has become about more than just one person’s opinion on seasonal standouts.
Votes can impact a player’s salary, and that’s serious.
It started in 2017, when supermax contracts were attached to All-NBA honors. Having salary scales influenced by media opinions never felt right to me, but the responsibility is to be accepted with the vote.
By 2023, when the league instituted its latest collective bargaining agreement, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association put more weight on those votes by requiring players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for accolades such as MVP and All-NBA. This was intended to incentivize players to play more games and satisfy fans and television partners who were upset by teams using load management to sit stars.
The problem with that? It attempted to fix a non-existent issue.
There was no need for a 65-game threshold. Only one MVP has played in fewer than 60 games during an 82-game season (Bill Walton, 58, 1977-78). Players weren’t playing in 35 games and voted to All-NBA teams. No one was missing half the season en route to winning MVP.
The mere theory of the idea sounded good until last week, when MVP candidate Cade Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung, putting him at risk of being ineligible for awards unless he can return by April 6 and appear in Detroit’s last four games for at least 20 minutes.
Cunningham, who was a third-team All-NBA selection last season, has played in 61 games this season and wasn’t sitting out games for the sake of rest. He deserves first-team All-NBA honors and is the main reason Detroit has the Eastern Conference’s best record.
He shouldn’t have to rush back from injury for the honor. Cunningham’s season has been exemplary even if it may have ended prematurely. Voters should not be forced to omit him over a legitimate injury, especially when he should be focused on getting healthy and returning when it’s right.
Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards was the 2026 All-Star Game MVP but remains out with a knee injury and is at 58 games. The Timberwolves have only 10 more games this season, so one of the NBA’s best guards could miss out on All-NBA honors if he’s not back soon.
San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama is the best player on one of the league’s best teams. He’s made his case to be the league MVP and helped the Spurs go 4-1 against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder this season. He’s a legitimate MVP and Defensive Player of the Year candidate but needs to play in eight more games to qualify after being injured earlier in the season.
Perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokić can miss only one more game this season after missing time with a hyperextended knee. The same goes for Kawhi Leonard, whose play helped the Clippers emerge from a miserable start into postseason contention.
Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey (61 games) is still out with an injury. Reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lakers star Luka Dončić are both at 60 games with their teams having 10 games to play. Dončić leads the NBA in points per game, Gilgeous-Alexander is second, Edwards is third and Maxey is fourth.
Voting on the awards makes media members part of the league’s history. It also subjects us to avoidable scrutiny.
The NBA has made ballots public since 2014, so there are no secrets. If someone is voting for a player that’s completely out of whack, like a team’s 12th man getting an MVP vote, everyone will know.
Asking voters to navigate this duty when a number of games they didn’t pick dictates the decision isn’t fair. The 65-game target isn’t making players play more. It’s just giving voters more to think about and potentially punishing players like Cunningham.
So, let the voters vote without worrying about 65 games. No one wants to be a part of history that risks omitting obvious stellar choices like Cunningham, Wembanyama and Edwards from recognition.