Doncic and Cunningham hand out awards as Edwards denied in 65-game rule dispute

Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham have received waivers from NBA The 65-game eligibility threshold for season-ending awards after the league and the National Basketball Association agreed that both players qualified under the extraordinary circumstances clause — while Anthony Edwards was denied the same treatment.

The development has cast renewed scrutiny on a rule that has divided opinion all season, with several of the league’s biggest names including LeBron JamesGiannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry and Devin Booker all fall short of the 65-game minimum and miss consideration for the award altogether.

Doncic and Cunningham were given the go-ahead

Doncic played in 64 qualifying games of 20 or more minutes during the regular season, with two absences in December due to overseas travel for the birth of his daughter.

Cunningham, meanwhile, has played 63 qualifying games since suffering a collapsed lung in mid-March that cost him 12 games. He appeared in the 64th game, but only logged five minutes against Washington on March 17.

Instead of sending the cases to arbitration, the NBA and NBPA agreed to lift the rule for both men.

« The NBA and NBPA have agreed that, given the totality of the circumstances for Cunningham and Doncic, each player qualifies for awards, » the league and union said in a joint statement.

Doncic expressed his gratitude in a post to X. « I am grateful to the NBPA for advocating on my behalf and to the NBA for their fair decision, » he wrote.

“It was so important for me to attend my daughter’s birth in December and I appreciate Mark, Jeanie, Rob, JJ and the entire Lakers organization for fully supporting me and allowing me to travel to be there.

« This season has been so special to me because of what my teammates and I have been able to achieve and I am honored to have the opportunity to be considered for the league’s end of season awards. »

Edwards Denied

The outcome was starkly different for Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who played in 60 games this season after missing time with an infection.

NBA Today reports on the 65-game award challenges upheld for Lakers star Luka Doncic and Pistons star Cade Cunningham — and a statement from Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards’ business manager regarding the rejection of his challenge: pic.twitter.com/5ZI9buytQh

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 16, 2026

Edwards took the route of challenging the rule through arbitration, but the arbitrator denied his case, leaving him ineligible for awards.

The decision drew a sharp reaction from his business manager, Justin Holland. « Anthony and I appreciate the AP appealing his case, » Holland said.

« For me personally, I’m a little confused by the pardon for Cade who missed time for something that happened on the court and not for Ant who missed time for an infection, but at the end of the day you know Ant isn’t fazed by it AT ALL. »

The 65-game threshold, introduced in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement to address workload management issues, has been one of the most talked about topics for the 2025-26 season.

Victor Wembanyama scored in his 65th game in the penultimate game of the regular season, and Nikola Jokic didn’t reach the mark until the final day.

Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman called for reform. « That’s not the spirit of this rule, » he said last week, arguing that if a player like Jokic can play 64 games without ever wanting to come out and still miss out on eligibility, something needs to change.

However, NBA commissioner Adam Silver backed down. « I think it’s working, » Silver said at the board of governors press conference last month. « Almost a third of the All-NBA players didn’t play 80 percent of the games in the three years before we adopted this rule. That was a huge problem for the league. Now you see them on the floor. »