Two of the biggest stars of this season, Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham, were on the verge of getting eliminated from the special honors race. However, NBA authorities recently twisted the rules a bit to favor the two stars. 

On April 16, 2026, the NBA and the players' union made a joint decision. They approved a circumstances challenge for the Los Angeles Lakers star and the Detroit Pistons guard. Both players are now eligible to win regular-season awards like MVP and All-NBA honors.

This happened even though both men fell short of the league’s strict 65-game minimum rule. The league and the union released a statement stating that, after looking at the "totality of the circumstances" for both players, each qualified for the awards under the specific exception. 

Dončić finished the year with 64 games played, falling short of the 65-game cutoff by just one match. He missed 2 games in December to travel to Europe for the birth of his daughter. His regular season officially ended early when he suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2 against the Thunder. 

Cunningham played 63 games, missing the mark by just two appearances. He was forced to sit out for about a dozen games after suffering a collapsed lung in mid-March. The rare, non-contact injury happened when he dove for a loose ball and took a hit to the ribs from Wizards rookie Tre Johnson. 

Both players filed their official challenges during a very tight window allowed by the league. The rules state a challenge must be filed between noon on the last day of the season and midnight the next day.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards played 60 games and filed a very similar challenge. His case went to an independent arbitrator and was denied, keeping him ineligible for any 2025-26 awards. 

Allowing these two stars to bypass the cutoff was a huge decision for the league. It raised questions about how strict the rules really are.

Testing the Limits of the 65-Game Rule

The 65-game minimum was put in place during the 2024-25 season. To win major awards, a player has to play 65 games. They can also qualify if they play at least 62 games and then suffer a doctor-certified or season-ending injury.

But the rule actually has a built-in safety called the Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge. To win this challenge, a player has to prove that it was nearly impossible for them to play in the missed games. They also have to prove they would have easily met the 65-game mark if those specific events had not happened. 

The exception is written directly into the CBA framework. Both sides followed the exact procedure laid out in the rulebook to make this happen. Even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has not pushed back against the decision, letting the joint statement speak for itself.

This is the first time anyone has successfully used this specific challenge for award eligibility. What do you think about this decision? Did the NBA make the right call by letting Dončić and Cunningham bypass the 65-game rule?

Read more at Air Jordan Chronicles!

Written by

Utsav Sinha

Edited by

Souvik Roy