Cade Cunningham’s breakout season in Detroit has placed him firmly in the All-NBA conversation—at least from a performance standpoint. Whether he will actually qualify, however, is becoming a growing point of contention across the league.
The Pistons guard has suited up in 61 games this season, but a collapsed lung is expected to sideline him for additional time. That development puts him in danger of falling short of the NBA’s 65-game minimum, a requirement for eligibility in major individual awards, such as All-NBA selections.
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), which agreed to the rule under the current collective bargaining agreement, is now publicly pushing back. At the very least, the union wants to see adjustments made—particularly in cases involving legitimate injuries.
“Cade has delivered a first-team All-NBA season,” said Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management. “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.”
Cade Cunningham’s Case Isn’t an Isolated One
Cunningham’s situation is far from isolated. Several marquee names are already ruled out of award contention due to the same restriction. LeBron James, for instance, is set to see his 21-year All-NBA streak come to an end, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry have also missed too many games to qualify. Others, including Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama—both firmly in the MVP race—are hovering dangerously close to the cutoff.
Meanwhile, leading MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic still have some breathing room, though even they cannot afford extended absences.
For the players’ union, Cunningham’s case underscores a broader issue with the policy.
“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 create an exception for significant injuries,” the NBPA said through a spokesperson. “Since its implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.”
Support for Abolishing 65-Game Rule Is Growing
Players around the league have echoed similar sentiments.
“It’s for the right reasons, but it’s tough,” Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell said. “We get paid money to be out there, but there are certain things you can’t control. It’s not like guys are resting and missing these games. These are legitimate injuries, so it’s something to look at for sure because there’s no way certain guys should be in this scenario.”
There is a provision that allows players who appear in at least 62 games and suffer season-ending injuries to remain eligible, but Cunningham’s situation does not fall under that category—at least for now.
As the regular season winds down, what should have been a straightforward All-NBA case has instead turned into a referendum on one of the league’s most debated rules.
