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The Los Angeles Clippers continue to find rhythm at the right time, and Kawhi Leonard sits at the center of it. In a 119-94 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Leonard delivered a game-high 27 points, extending his streak to 49 consecutive games with at least 20, The Star reports.
That level of consistency has fueled a late-season push for Los Angeles. It has also sharpened the spotlight on a league-wide conversation that continues to divide players, teams, and executives.
Leonard addressed the NBA’s 65-game rule, a policy that now plays a major role in determining eligibility for awards.
“It’s great for the league trying to stop people just from sitting,” Leonard said. “But like I said before, I don’t think that rule is changing anybody to play if they’re really hurt. I don’t think it makes sense to just try to go for a game if you’re in nagging pain. It’s something you’re trying to keep under control. It is what it is. The healthiest guys play. That’s just how the ball rolls.”
Players, League Clash Over 65-Game Threshold
The rule, introduced for the 2023-24 season, requires players to appear in at least 65 games to qualify for honors like MVP and All-NBA. Adam Silver has supported the policy, emphasizing its intent to increase participation and reduce load management.
“I’m not ready to say it’s not working,” Silver said during a Board of Governors meeting, per Yahoo. “It is working.”
Still, frustration continues to grow among players and representatives. The National Basketball Players Association has pushed back, especially as cases emerge where injuries threaten to sideline deserving candidates.
Cade Cunningham Case Highlights Growing Tension
One of the most notable situations involves Cade Cunningham, whose All-NBA case could fall short due to the games requirement. His agent argued that missing the threshold because of injury should not erase a season’s worth of elite performance.
“Cade has delivered a first-team All-NBA season,” Cunningham’s agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, told ESPN’s Shams Charania. “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.”
The players’ union echoed that sentiment, calling the rule overly rigid and suggesting it needs reform or exceptions for legitimate injuries. The debate has become less about effort and more about fairness, especially when health factors beyond a player’s control.
The union’s 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 include an exception for significant injuries. Since its implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.”
Leonard’s perspective adds weight to that argument. Known for managing injuries throughout his career, he pointed to a simple reality, players will not risk long-term health just to meet a number.
As the regular season enters its final stretch, the conversation around the rule continues to evolve. The league wants availability. Players want context.
For now, both sides remain firm, and performances like Leonard’s only make the debate louder.
Burtland Dixon Burtland Dixon is a sports journalist covering the NBA and athlete culture for Heavy.com. A former Division II athlete turned journalist, he offers a unique blend of locker room perspective and storytelling expertise. He has more than eight years of experience in digital media and previously served as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with additional bylines at Idolator, Trend Chaser, and Buzznet. Burtland is based between California and New York. Instagram: @showmi_more More about Burtland Dixon
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