With the end of the NBA regular season, talks of who will win major awards such as Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA teams are in full swing. There’s a catch, though: players need to play at least 65 games during the regular season to be eligible for these awards.

The rule, implemented in the 2023-2024 season, was created to mitigate the number of games players were taking off because of “load management.” Despite the goal of this rule being well-intentioned, it doesn’t reasonably rule out players who had freak injuries on or off the court.

Cade Cunningham is a prime example of this fatal flaw; with his sudden collapsed lung, he ended the season with 64 games played. It’s not fair when a player puts so much effort into his team just to miss the cutoff by one game. 

One of the fan favorites to win MVP, Luka Doncic, will also miss the cutoff for award eligibility, playing 64 games as well. This season, Doncic averaged 33.5 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, some of the greatest numbers in the league’s history. In total, Doncic missed about 10 games due to his hamstring injury, 2 games due to the birth of his son, and he was suspended for one game due to excessive technical fouls. 

Other notable ineligible players include Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Stephen Curry.

Cunningham and Doncic were ruled eligible under “extraordinary circumstances” after filing for a repeal despite not reaching the 65-game benchmark. Edwards, after also filing a repeal after playing 61 games, was rejected and ruled ineligible for awards. There is absolutely no objectivity to this rule, which completely contradicts the point of the rule in the first place.

The NBA needs a major change to this rule, as it is way too subjective as it currently stands.