NBPA To Seek Change To 65-Game Rule

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is working to put forward a change to the league’s 65-game awards-eligibility rule, reports Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, citing an anonymous source within the players’ union.

The NBPA would like to introduce stipulations related to significant injuries and reevaluate the games-played criteria, Vorkunov writes, adding that the union intends to present its proposal to the league within the next few weeks.

The NBPA previously put out a statement calling for the rule to be either abolished or reformed, citing the looming potential ineligibility of Cade Cunningham, who has had an All-NBA season but currently sits at 60 games played with 20 or more minutes.

League commissioner Adam Silver, however, told reporters today that he believes the rule has been a success and is working as intended, seemingly resisting the call for changes to be made.

“We always knew when there’s a line you draw, that somebody’s going to fall on the other side of that line,” Silver said. “And it may feel unfair in that particular instance. Let’s see what happens at the end of this year… we also have to remember that to the extent that one player is no longer eligible, some other player will then be All-NBA and will slot into that spot. So I’m not ready to stand here saying I don’t think it’s working. I think it is working.”

Vorkunov notes that the rule has come under scrutiny for potentially pressuring players to return too quickly from injuries so as not to lose out on contract incentives based on end-of-year awards.

“There’s not nearly as much discussion around load management as there was, in part because the teams and the players have responded. You see them on the floor now,” Silver said. “So, now we have a separate issue that we’re dealing with in terms of tanking, and we’ll deal with that. And I get it. There’s part of my job. There’s always new issues, but I’m not ready to say, standing here today, that because there may be a sense of unfairness for one player, that means the rule doesn’t work.”