NBA, NBPA rule Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham are eligible for MVP, other awards
NBC Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham have been granted postseason award eligibility despite not meeting the NBA's 65-game threshold, as the league and players' union recognized their situations as "extraordinary circumstances."
- Doncic played 64 games before a hamstring injury ended his season early, with the league acknowledging that missing games for the birth of his daughter qualified as an extraordinary circumstance.
- Cunningham played 63 qualifying games but missed a dozen due to a collapsed lung, and this ruling is financially significant for him as it affects his eligibility for a super-max contract extension.
- Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards filed an extraordinary circumstances challenge after playing 60 games but was denied eligibility by an arbitrator despite strong season averages.
- Cunningham, key to the No. 1-seed Pistons, averaged 23.9 points and 9.9 assists, while Doncic led the NBA in scoring with 33.5 points per game for the No. 4 seed Lakers.
