As injuries continue to pile up around the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James took an opportunity to speak out on the league’s polarizing 65-game awards rule.
The 21-time All-Star cited Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokić’s waning awards eligibility as a concerning example, questioning the logic behind such restrictions.
LeBron James Raises Concerns About Impact of 65-Game Awards Rule on NBA Players’ Legacies
Since the 2023-24 season, players have been required to suit up in a minimum of 65 out of 82 regular-season games to contend for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, All-NBA teams, and All-Defensive teams, allowing a maximum of 17 absences.
The rule was implemented to combat load management, one of the NBA’s most prevalent issues at the time. However, as the mandate has begun to penalize some of the league’s premier players for suffering freak injuries, many have called for it to be reconsidered.
Jokić serves as the most notable case. The three-time MVP, known for his durability, sustained a left knee bone bruise on Dec. 29 and was initially given a four-week timetable before re-evaluation.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Jokić, who has already missed 15 straight contests, will be out at least another week. Such a return timeline would disqualify arguably the NBA’s top player from awards consideration amid one of his most productive seasons, perplexing James.
“You’ve got guys that are going to miss All-NBA nods because of that. You can’t tell me that Jokić is not All-NBA now, all of a sudden, because he’s missed 30 games,” James said on Tuesday’s edition of “Mind the Game.”
“You can’t tell me he’s not first team All-NBA. This guy’s averaging 29 [points], 13 [rebounds], and 14 [assists], or some s**t like that. So, how long do we go with this, and how is it gonna affect not only today’s conversation but also individual guys’ legacies?”
LeBron James speaks out on the NBA’s divisive 65-game awards rule amid Nikola Jokić’s impending All-NBA ineligibility. pic.twitter.com/SByMFIfSZi
— StatHunter (@stat_hunter) January 28, 2026
James then pointed out that it defeats the purpose of having All-NBA teams if the best 15 players aren’t represented.
“It would be so weird to see the All-NBA teams come out, first team, second team, third team, and Jokić is not on there, or Giannis [Antetokounmpo] is not on there, or if my teammate, if Luka [Dončić] happened to miss some time,” James continued.
Moreover, the four-time NBA champion took issue with players unjustly missing out on opportunities to garner financial incentives.
“Even more important, we’re not just talking about legacies for guys [in terms] of conversation but also legacies for their families,” James noted.
“If you have an opportunity to be in a contract year where you can get the supermax, or if you’re eligible for an extra year and you’re playing exceptional basketball, you’re having a career year, and you play 64 games, that could be catastrophic.”
While the NBA hasn’t announced any plan to change the arbitrary threshold, Jokić’s likely absence come awards season, despite averaging a near-30-point triple-double, could prove to be the breaking point.
