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Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts from the floor after a play during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The news of Luka Doncic missing the rest of the regular season with an injury has angered his agent to challenge the NBA’s 65-game minimum rule. Commissioner Adam Silver initiated this rule to cut down on things like load management or players sitting out games when healthy. However, Doncic’s hamstring sprain is a real injury that requires him to miss games for legitimate reasons.
Bill Duffy of WME Basketball said the following about trying to get the rule rescinded for a special case:
“This season, Luka Dončić has performed at a historic level, leading the league in scoring, carrying the Lakers to third place in the Western Conference and placing himself in the middle of one of the most tightly contested MVP races in memory.
To ensure that Luka’s incredible accomplishments this season are rightly honored and he can be considered for the league’s end-of-season awards, we intend to apply for an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” to the 65-game rule.”
The Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge would argue that Doncic deserves to be considered for All-NBA votes and any other awards. Despite having an argument for the MVP lately, it remains unlikely Luka will get many votes for the award now. However, an All-NBA selection is all but guaranteed if he qualifies.
Luka Missing Time For Childbirth May Help
The desire for a challenge to the rule by Doncic’s agent plays into more than this recent injury. Luka has already played 64 games and will fall one game short of the minimum 65 games to get award consideration.
Duffy shared that Doncic missing a few games for the birth of his child should help the challenge:
“Luka missed two games this season for the birth of his second child in Slovenia. His daughter was born on Dec. 4 on another continent, and yet he was back in the United States competing with his team on Dec. 6.
Luka has gone to great lengths to show up for his team and this league this season. His record-breaking season deserves to be noted in the history books, despite last night’s unfortunate injury and other extraordinary circumstances.”
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar and Duffy intend to fully challenge the NBA and demand to get some kind of change to the rule to ensure his season is appreciated with an All-NBA selection. Adam Silver will have a big decision on his hands.
Why The NBA Appeasing Luka Is Risky
One aspect of this story is the consistency that the NBA will need to have for other players in this case. Doncic clearly had some unique circumstances of why he missed time and fell just one game short of the rule.
However, Anthony Edwards is currently on pace to play 64 games and would also fall one game short of the rule. Cade Cunningham had a health emergency rule him out after he already led the Detroit Pistons to an improbable one seed lead.
Luka’s agent winning would see other players trying the same thing, and Silver will have to be consistent. All three of these players getting the challenge confirmed would likely just end the 65-game rule for good if Silver is willing to make these many exceptions.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford
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