The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have approved special exemptions that will place Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham on this spring’s award ballots, league sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement’s 65-game rule normally requires players to log at least 20 minutes in 63 contests and at least 15 minutes in two more to qualify for honors such as Most Valuable Player and All-NBA. Both players fell short but petitioned under the CBA clause that allows “extraordinary circumstances” reviews when exclusion would be deemed unjust.
Doncic’s case
Doncic recorded 20-plus minutes in 62 games and at least 15 minutes in two others during the 2025/26 season. In addition to health-related absences and a one-game suspension for accruing 16 technical fouls, he missed two December games to travel to Slovenia for the birth of his child.
Cunningham’s situation
Cunningham reached 20-plus minutes in 60 of Detroit’s first 67 outings before leaving game 68 early with an injury that was later diagnosed as a collapsed lung. He returned for the final three games, finishing with 64 appearances, one of which lasted only five minutes.
Appeal process and contrast with Edwards
The CBA does not define what qualifies as an extraordinary circumstance, leaving rulings to joint NBA–NBPA discretion. While Doncic and Cunningham succeeded, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was denied. Edwards played 20-plus minutes in 60 games and logged three minutes in another, leaving him ineligible for postseason awards.
Both the league and the players union formally announced the joint decision Tuesday. Ballots for the 2025/26 awards are expected to be distributed to voters later this spring.
Source: Hoops Rumors
