The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) ruled on Thursday that Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham are eligible for regular-season awards, overturning the league's 65-game threshold requirement due to extraordinary circumstances.
Doncic, who played in 64 games this season, missed two games in December to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia. Cunningham, who appeared in 63 games, missed 12 contests due to a collapsed lung suffered on March 17. Both players successfully appealed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement's extraordinary circumstances provision.
Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who played in 60 games, had his appeal denied. The NBA stated that Edwards' challenge was denied, making him ineligible for regular-season awards.
Doncic, a leading candidate for Most Valuable Player, averaged 33.5 points per game this season and earned his second league scoring title. He suffered a hamstring injury on April 2, ending his regular season prematurely. Cunningham, averaging 23.9 points and 9.9 assists per game, led the Pistons to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Lakers, without Doncic and Austin Reaves, begin the playoffs against the Houston Rockets on Saturday. The Timberwolves, seeded No. 6 in the Western Conference, will face the Denver Nuggets in their first-round series.