NBA “65-Game” Rule Costing Players Awards and Millions

In recent weeks, the NBA’s 65-game rule has impacted the earning potential of the league’s brightest stars. Midway through the season, many key stars were sidelined due to injuries and impending bans. Here is the list of notable players who missed more than 10 games this season: Lauri Markkanen, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jimmy Bulter, Jamal Murry, Kristaps Porzingis, Kyrie Irving, Evan Mobley, LaMelo Ball, Darius Garland, Zach Lavine, Bradley Beal, Mitchell Robinson and Marcus Smart. A notable example is current MVP Joel Embiid. The 76ers star is having the best season of his career, leading the NBA with 35.3 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Embiid suffered a lateral meniscus injury in his knee against the Golden State Warriors on January 30. The 76ers recently announced that Embiid had knee surgery and would be out of action for at least four weeks. It’s clear Embiid won’t be able to meet the 65-game requirement to earn postseason honors, but the current MVP has his sights set on a postseason return.

What is the 65 Match Rule?

The league’s new rule requires all players to participate in 65 games for at least 20 minutes to be eligible for major individual awards: Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player and All-NBA honors. According to this rule, players can miss 20% of the games. There are also protections against season-ending injuries (62 games) and bad faith circumstances. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the league office implemented the rule to emphasize the importance of the regular season and protect customers who spend money to see their favorite players on the court. In recent years, the era of load management has resulted in the league’s top 25 players missing more than 25% of games. NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars stated that, as a result of the joint efforts of the league, stakeholders and the NBPA, we determined that 17 games is a good number at the limit of the 65-game requirement.

65 Match Rule Could Cost Tyrese Halliburton $41 Million