Before flying to Europe, Luka Dončić was averaging 33.5 points, 7.73 rebounds, and 8.3 assists. He won the Player of the Month twice this season. But right now, he might not be eligible for the MVP award. A hamstring injury against OKC might have ended his regular-season run at 64 games, just one short of the NBA threshold. What happens now is genuinely unclear.
Sam Amick on Adam Silver, the 65-Game Rule, and Luka Dončić’s MVP Chances
It all started with Cade Cunningham’s heartbreaking collapsed lung, which forced this conversation. Dončić wasn’t even a part of the conversation at that point. The NBPA called for the infamous 65-game rule to be abolished so that players like Cade, who were having an incredible season, could remain eligible for awards.
Cunningham’s agent said his client had delivered a first-time All-NBA season and should not be penalized for a legitimate injury. But Adam Silver wasn’t having it.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick said what actually went down on his recent appearance on the “Run It Back” podcast. Without sugarcoating the commissioner’s response, he said, “So far, Adam’s tone has been borderline defiant. He’s usually pretty diplomatic, but I thought his answer was pretty direct. He said: one player does not justify changing the rule.”
Silver went tough on Cunningham. But Amick feels Dončić’s situation is a little different.
Dončić’s agent, Bill Duffy, plans to file for an Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge. He pointed to two games that Dončić missed in December to fly back to Slovenia for the birth of his daughter.
Had he played those two games (Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 against Toronto and Boston), he would not have to get into all this hassle. He would be sitting within the threshold already. Amick mentioned this as the premise of his projection.
“Luka in particular is a pretty interesting one,” he said. “When you talk about his choice to go and be there for the birth of his child and to miss two games, and the objects of the NBA saying, ‘man, this is what you get for being a good dad, no MVP candidacy for you.'”
Sam Amick on Adam Silver making exceptions to the 65-game rule:
“Adam’s tone has been borderline defiant… they could make an exception (for Luka Doncic), but bigger picture… I think they’re sticking to their guns.”@sam_amick | @MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/GIMDRyY8KJ
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) April 10, 2026
Without guaranteeing anything, he continued, “They could make an exception there, but bigger picture, at least for now, I think they’re sticking to their guns when it comes to the 65-game rule.”
It wasn’t just these two games he missed. He also missed one game because of his mandatory suspension after picking up his 16th technical foul of the season. It brings us back into the loop again.
Had he played this game, he would still be comfortably sitting on the threshold. Combined, all of this makes a louder appeal, one that is more layered than a straightforward injury.
According to Marc Stein, the appeal that Bill Duffy plans to file might delay voting on the awards this season until this challenge is resolved. The NBA and NBPA will jointly select a “challenge expert” to issue a final ruling.
If the ruling goes Dončić’s way, he becomes eligible. That’s the only remedy he and his fans have right now.
