This NBA’s 2025-26 end-of-season awards have been the subject of more scrutiny than in previous seasons, mostly due to discussions on certain players’ eligibility.
Adding to the controversy was the NBA’s decision to push back the deadline for ballots to be submitted until after the Play-In Tournament started so that “Extraordinary Circumstances” grievances could be resolved. Now, several voters have flat-out admitted that they are taking the postseason games into account when voting even though these awards are supposed to be strictly about the regular season.
NBA Awards Voters Admit to Being Influenced by the Play-In Performances
Most of the discourse regarding the end-of-season awards has centered on the eligibility of certain players. Specifically, players like Cade Cunningham and Luka Dončić have been the subject of these talks because they fell under the 65-game eligibility requirement.
Due to deliberations regarding these specific players, the deadline for submitting the votes has been delayed. Typically, voters submit their ballots after the regular season ends, before the first batch of play-in games. This year, the deadline will be at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, just before the final set of play-in games tip-off.
This particular delay has led two analysts to admit that the earlier batch of play-in games, which have already concluded, will affect their votes. One analyst who has admitted to this is Fox Sports commentator Rachel Nichols.
“The ballot for NBA Awards voting has popped into my email, now that the ‘extraordinary circumstances’ decisions have been made. Quick turnaround – we have to turn them in by 3p ET tomorrow, which mean’s before tomorrow’s games,” Nichols said.
“(No, play in games aren’t supposed to influence votes anyway; yes, voters are human and like it or not, this week some players have made some statements – good and bad – about their candidacy.)”
The ballot for NBA Awards voting has popped into my email, now that the “extraordinary circumstances” decisions have been made. Quick turnaround – we have to turn them in by 3p ET tomorrow, which means before tomorrow’s games. (No, play in games aren’t supposed to influence votes…
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 16, 2026
One person then asked her if she just admitted to allowing the play-in tournament to affect her judgment for regular-season awards, and then urged the NBA to take away her vote. Nichols defended her position by saying she’s simply doing her job as an analyst.
“Totally. As an analyst, I’m doing my job and noting a first-time-in history factor in voting that at least a half-dozen high level male analysts noted after the Charlotte win,” she said. “But take the lady’s vote! (Dude, your post is silly & not helped by the lack of grammar skills.)”
One player who’ll likely be affected by this is Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel. Knueppel had a quiet game during the Charlotte Hornets’ play-in win over the Miami Heat, scoring only 6 points on 2-for-4 shooting, while playing for under 12 minutes.
This was an uncharacteristic game for the rookie, who averaged 18.5 points per game in 31.5 minutes of action per game through 81 regular-season outings. This one-game anomaly could lead some voters to consider Dallas Mavericks’ rookie Cooper Flagg over him.
The other voter who made a similar admission to Nichols is ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins. However, he seemingly took it one step further by seemingly not knowing when the votes are due.
On the “Road Trippin'” podcast, Perkins stated: “Seriously if they win the play-in game tomorrow and they make the postseason, he’s getting a vote from me for Third Team All-NBA.”
Full Clip ⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/qGIowsXjM3
— Road Trippin’ Show (@RoadTrippinShow) April 17, 2026
According to Perkins, the Hornets winning their game on Friday would warrant an All-NBA Third Team vote for LaMelo Ball. However, the voting deadline will pass before that game even starts.
This led several people to question why he even has a vote if he’s allowing the play-in to affect his decision while also not knowing when his ballot is due.
