The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Dončić and Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham are now eligible for postseason awards and All-NBA honors despite falling just short of the league’s 65-game threshold, the NBA announced on Thursday.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported Thursday that the NBA and National Basketball Players Association ruled in the stars’ favor under the “Extraordinary Circumstance Challenge.”
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards filed a challenge that was ultimately denied after it advanced to an independent arbitrator.
“Anthony and I appreciate the PA appealing his case,” Edwards’ business manager, Justin Holland, told Charania. “For me personally, I’m a bit confused at the clemency for Cade who missed time for something that happened on the court, and not Ant, who missed time for an infection, but ultimately you already know Ant isn’t trippin over it AT ALL. He was mad he didn’t get to 65, but not because he missed out on awards, he was mad because it meant he didn’t get to play in all 82 – which is what he always tries to do for his teammates and fans. You know the only thing he wants is a ring!”
The Athletic’s Dan Woike and Sam Amick reported on April 3 that Dončić would appeal for award eligibility as a hamstring injury guaranteed he’d be stuck on 64 appearances for the season. He had missed a back-to-back in December after traveling to Slovenia for the birth of his daughter.
Cunningham, meanwhile, missed 12 games across March and April because of a collapsed lung.
“The policy allows players to appeal if they meet a series of factors that include ‘extraordinary circumstances’ where ‘it was impracticable for him to play in one or more of the Regular Season game(s) that he missed during such Season,'” Woike and Amick wrote.
Dončić and Cunningham are both outsiders in the MVP race.
In the last straw poll from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the overwhelming winner with 88 first-place votes. While Cunningham was omitted from the exercise because of the 65-game rule, it’s difficult to see him peeling off enough votes from SGA.
Dončić and Cunningham should, however, be firmly in the All-NBA conversation.
Dončić led the league in scoring at 33.5 points and averaged 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. Cunningham helped the Pistons secure the top seed in the East and nearly put up a double-double (23.9 points and 9.9 assists) per contest.
Now, the pair can get the just rewards for their performances across the year.
