NBPA pushes to scrap or reform the 65-game award rule after Cunningham injury
The NBPA has urged abolishing or reforming the NBA’s 65-game threshold for season-long awards, arguing the rule is arbitrary and hurtful after Cade Cunningham played 61 games before a collapsed lung; there is a separate exception for season-ending injuries if a player has already appeared in 62 games, but Cunningham doesn’t qualify. With other top contenders near the cutoff, the union says the rule should be changed or an injury exception created, a process that would require agreement from both NBA owners and players, and could be addressed by Commissioner Adam Silver at the Board of Governors meeting.