Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham are eligible for postseason awards after winning their challenges to the 65-game rule, the NBA and the players union announced Thursday.
Both players had filed “extraordinary circumstances” challenges to a rule that requires players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for those honors.
Both players are expected to make All-NBA teams and Doncic is a candidate for Most Valuable Player.
An independent arbitrator denied a similar challenge from Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who played in 60 games and will not be eligible for award consideration.
Doncic, who finished with 64 games, missed two games in December when he traveled to Slovenia for the birth of his daughter. He also sustained a hamstring strain on April 2 and missed the Los Angeles Lakers’ final five games of the regular season.
“I am grateful to the NBPA for advocating on my behalf and to the NBA for their fair decision,” Doncic wrote on X. “It was so important to me to be present for the birth of my daughter in December and I appreciate Mark (Walter, majority owner), Jeanie (Buss, governor/minority owner), Rob (Pelinka, president of basketball operations/general manager), JJ (Redick, coach), and the entire Lakers organization for fully supporting me and allowing me to travel to be there.
“This season has been so special to me because of what my teammates and I have been able to accomplish, and I am honored to have the opportunity to be considered for the league’s end-of-season awards.”
Cunningham, who also played 64 contests, missed 11 games for the Detroit Pistons from mid-March to early April with a collapsed lung.
“The NBA and NBPA agreed that, taking into account the totality of the circumstances for Cunningham and Doncic, each player qualified for awards under the extraordinary circumstances provision in the CBA,” the league and union said in a news release.
Doncic, 27, averaged a league-high 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds in his first full season with the Lakers.
Cunningham, 24, averaged 23.9 points, a career-high 9.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds in his fifth season with the Pistons.
Edwards, 24, averaged a career-high 28.8 points, 5.0 boards and 3.7 assists in his sixth season with the Timberwolves.
–Field Level Media
