Cade Cunningham is at risk of becoming ineligible for end of season awards. The National Basketball Players Association wants to keep his eligibility intact.
The NBPA is pushing for an amendment of the league’s 65-game rule, which requires players to play at least 20 minutes in a minimum of 65 games to earn individual honors, such as All-NBA or MVP. Cunningham is at risk of missing the rest of the regular season with a collapsed left lung. Doing so would leave him five games short of the eligibility cut-off.
It would be a rough outcome for Cunningham, who has put himself firmly in the All-NBA First Team discussion by leading the Pistons to their best season in nearly two decades.
“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 union told national media outlets, including ESPN, 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.”
Cunningham is averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 steals and nearly a block per game. The Pistons are on pace to finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference, standing 52-19 overall with 11 games remaining.
The 65-game rule was implemented in the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement to curtail “load management” games for stars. Cunningham appear likely to be an unintended casualty of the rule. The Pistons already have a postseason berth locked up and have secured their first 50-win season since 2007-08.
The superstar already arguably has an All-NBA résumé, but won’t be eligible unless he returns in time to play in five more contests.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky and/or X @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NBPA pushing to save Cade Cunningham award eligibility with Pistons
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
