The Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton is chiming in on the debate over the NBA’s 65-game requirement for end-of-season awards.
Haliburton’s comments came at a time when the eligibility threshold forced some of the league’s top performers out of MVP contention.
Tyrese Haliburton Shares His Thoughts on the NBA’s 65-Game Requirement
In a recent segment of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Haliburton addressed the heated debate over the 65-game requirement and its effect this season.
Drawing on his own history with the mandate, Haliburton said, “I think the NBA had to do something because at the end of the day, fans, analysts, they want the great players to play, and I get that, and we made the 65-game rule to get more players to play.”
“And actually, I was the first year of this rule coming into play … I hurt my hamstring that year, and I was fighting to make the All-NBA to get a supermax contract. So I was one of the first guys kind of affected by this,” he added.
“I was one of the first guys kind of affected by this. And at the time, I said ‘I think this is a dumb rule.’ … I think this is a rule that will get adjusted going into next year.”
—@Hali on the NBA’s 65-game rule in order to be eligible for major end-of-season awards 🏀
(via… pic.twitter.com/951EgjRaxG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 13, 2026
“And at the time, I said, ‘I think this is a dumb rule.’ … I think this is a rule that will get adjusted going into next year because there’s been so much conversation around it.”
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Dončić was arguably the most significant name to be affected by this eligibility requirement. He was on an absolute tear for the Lakers this season, averaging 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds, and was among the frontrunners for the MVP award.
However, a suspension and a season-ending left hamstring injury later, Dončić fell short of the 65-game mark by one game.
The Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham, considered a dark horse MVP candidate, averaged 23.9 points and 9.9 assists during the regular season. However, he fell out of consideration after suffering a collapsed lung on March 17, causing him to miss time.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, speaking to the media in late March, said the rule needed tweaking. “You would think that benchmark would include games where guys actually played,” Kerr said. “Yes, it needs to be revamped.”
The Warriors’ Draymond Green, citing Cunningham’s situation, also echoed Kerr’s sentiments and urged for a change.
With several analysts and players weighing in on the 65-game eligibility debate, the pressure on Adam Silver is mounting, and the situation looks well-positioned to force changes to the rulebook.
