Victor Wembanyama has been one of the most dominant players in the NBA this season. He is the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, a lock for First Team All-NBA, and a genuine MVP candidate. And yet, with three games left in the regular season, there is a real chance none of that matters. All because of 20 minutes.
Nick Wright, speaking on First Things First, called it the biggest story surrounding the NBA’s divisive 65-game rule, and the numbers behind it are as maddening as he suggested.
Nick Wright Breaks Down Why Victor Wembanyama’s Situation Is ‘Very Unique’
Wright laid out the mechanics of the problem with precision. “Did Wemby go back in this game to make sure it counted for eligibility?” he asked. “Because within a minute of him getting past the 15-minute mark, you’re allowed two games where you play less than 20, but at least 15, for it to count. Wemby had used up one of those games already. Got hurt, played 11 minutes, came back, played five, bumped into Embiid and went out.”
The sequence Wright was describing came from Monday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers, where Wembanyama suffered a left rib contusion. Shams Charania reported that tests confirmed a bad bruise that is affecting his breathing. The good news, Charania noted, is that Wembanyama is “very confident” he will be able to play at least 20 minutes, potentially as soon as Friday against the Dallas Mavericks.
But Wright’s larger concern was not just the injury. It was the impossible position the rule has placed on both Wembanyama and the Spurs franchise. “We can all hate the rule, but the rule not only exists… Adam Silver is not going to listen,” he said.
“So now we’re in a very awkward spot for the San Antonio Spurs franchise and for Wemby. He has made it very clear how much individual awards matter to him, more than any young player. It is a very unique situation.”
.@getnickwright says this is the biggest story of the NBA’s 65-game rule 👀
“Did Wemby go back in this game to make sure it counted for eligibility?…Now, we’re in a very awkward spot for the San Antonio Spurs franchise and for Wemby… It is a very unique situation.” pic.twitter.com/TI9PX0YDd9
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) April 8, 2026
The tension Wright identified cuts right to the heart of it. Wembanyama is the kind of player for whom individual accolades carry genuine weight. he has said openly that he wants to build a legacy among the all-time greats, and that means grabbing every honor available. “I do care deeply about it,” Wembanyama told Scott Van Pelt earlier this season. “If I want to make my spot among the greats, I gotta try to not miss any occasion.”
But suiting up carries real physical risk for a player dealing with a rib injury that is affecting his breathing. The Spurs are just two weeks away from their first playoff run in years. The question Wright posed is a sharp one: will Wembanyama play in service of his individual legacy, or will the Spurs protect him for the postseason and the ultimate goal of a championship?
Why the NBA’s 65-Game Rule Is Failing Its Own Purpose?
Wembanyama’s situation is the most glaring example of a rule that has spiraled into absurdity in the last week of the regular season. He currently sits at 64 games played, a tally that includes the NBA Cup Final, which does not count toward regular-season stats but does count toward award eligibility.
He has exhausted both of his allowed “near-miss” exemptions, meaning his next appearance must be at least 20 full minutes, or it will not count.
He is not alone in being caught by this rule in 2025-26. Cade Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung in his 61st game and must play all of Detroit’s remaining games to qualify. Anthony Edwards will not reach 65. Luka Dončić is at 64 and out for the regular season with a hamstring strain, filing an extraordinary circumstances grievance over two games missed for the birth of his daughter.
All of these players, MVP and All-NBA caliber contributors, face the prospect of being wiped from the ballot on a technicality.
The cruel irony is that the rule was designed to keep stars on the floor and protect the integrity of the regular season. What it has produced instead is a final week where the sport’s best players are being asked to risk their playoff health to hit an arbitrary threshold. The other option they’re left with is to watch their entire season’s worth of achievement go unrecognized.
For Wembanyama, who has spent the season navigating injuries with extraordinary care alongside the Spurs’ medical staff, landing one game short of eligibility through no fault of his own may be the rule’s most damaging outcome yet.
