The NBA announced Thursday that Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham are still eligible to compete for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, despite not meeting the 65-game playing requirement. Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic and Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham initially did not meet the MVP requirement, having played 64 and 63 games respectively. However, the NBA and the Players Association ruled that both were eligible due to “special circumstances.”
Doncic missed several games due to his leg injury and also returned to Slovenia to welcome the birth of his daughter, missing two games in total. Cunningham missed 12 games in March due to a collapsed lung, preventing him from meeting the requirement. The NBA also rejected Anthony Iwats’ application. The Minnesota Timberwolves star played 60 games this season and had previously applied under the “special circumstances” clause, but was denied.
This year’s MVP award is widely considered to be fiercely contested. Besides Doncic and Gunningham, defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio Spurs’ Van Gundy, and Denver Nuggets’ Josh Eugene are all strong contenders for the honor.
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