Luka Dončić’s MVP candidacy appeared dead on arrival after a hamstring injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder left him one game short of the NBA’s 65-game eligibility threshold.
But NBA legend Tracy McGrady is not ready to let the league’s leading scorer be written off without a fight, and believes there is a legitimate path to keeping his awards case alive.
Why Tracy McGrady Believes Luka Dončić Deserves an MVP Exception
The crux of the argument centers on two games Dončić missed in early December to travel to Slovenia for the birth of his second daughter, Olivia. Those absences, McGrady argued on a recent appearance, should never be held against a player in an eligibility calculation.
“I think he’s eligible for that. He should be able to get those two games back,” McGrady said. “It’s the birth of his child. This is not an injury, this is not load management… I’m sure the league is gonna do right by that.”
T-Mac:
“I think (Luka is) eligible for that. He should be able to get those 2 games back. It’s the birth of his child. This is not an injury, this is not load management. I’m sure the league is gonna do right by that” pic.twitter.com/eRW4SgTXsx
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) April 5, 2026
The mechanism that could make it happen is already in the collective bargaining agreement. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported that Dončić has the option to file an ‘extraordinary circumstances grievance’, which would be heard by an arbitrator after the regular season concludes.
RELATED: Luka Dončić Could Use ‘Extraordinary’ Loophole To Fight for MVP and All-NBA Eligibility
If ruled in his favor, the two games missed for the birth of his daughter would count toward his total, pushing him to 66 appearances, enough to clear the 65-game threshold and restore his eligibility for MVP and All-NBA consideration.
However, Dončić’s path to 65 games was also complicated by a one-game suspension earlier in the season after picking up his 16th technical foul.
Had he avoided that suspension, the extraordinary circumstances grievance would not even have been necessary; he would have reached the threshold on his own.
What Is at Stake for Dončić, and How Strong Is His MVP Case?
The stakes could not be higher. Dončić leads the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game, two full points clear of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Added to this are his 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per night.
The Lakers posted a 43-21 record in the games he played this season. In March alone, he averaged 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists on 49.2% shooting across a 14-2 stretch, becoming just the 10th player in NBA history to score 600 points in a single calendar month.
The 65-game rule has already ravaged the 2025-26 awards season. Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham, who has missed significant time with a collapsed lung, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James have all been eliminated from consideration. Dončić is the highest-profile casualty yet.
If the arbitrator rules in Dončić’s favor, his candidacy re-enters one of the most competitive MVP races in recent memory alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and Nikola Jokić.
If it does not, the league’s scoring leader will watch the award season conclude without his name on a single ballot, a scenario McGrady, for one, finds difficult to accept.
