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Why Victor Wembanyama is eligible for NBA postseason awards despite playing 64 games
TL;DR
Victor Wembanyama is eligible for NBA postseason awards despite playing only 64 games due to a rule that counts his two NBA Cup finals appearances as additional games. This situation has sparked debate about the NBA's 65-game eligibility threshold.
Why Victor Wembanyama is eligible for NBA postseason awards despite playing 64 games originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NBA's 65-game threshold for postseason award eligibility remains under tremendous scrutiny.
A quirk in the rules that helps San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama -- but hurts Cade Cunningham, Luka Doncic and others -- will only heighten the furor and calls for NBA commissioner Adam Silver to move that threshold.
MORE: Victor Wembanyama gets real on Spurs' NBA Playoffs hopes
Though Wembanyama played 64 regular-season games, his two appearances in the NBA Cup finals are counted as additional appearances per NBA rules.
Wembanyama helped the Spurs eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup semis before San Antonio fell to the New York Knicks back in December.
It means Wembanyama will be eligible for MVP, All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year despite playing 1,866 minutes -- fewer than Doncic, Cunningham, Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards, none of whom met the 65-game criteria.
While it does prompt questions about the NBA's methodology, for Wembanyama, the news is absolutely fantastic. Though he sat out the Spurs' loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, Wembanyama steered San Antonio to its best season in 10 years: a 62-20 record, good enough for second in the Western Conference.
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Q&A
Why is Victor Wembanyama eligible for postseason awards with only 64 games played?
Wembanyama's eligibility stems from NBA rules that allow his two appearances in the NBA Cup finals to be counted as additional games.
What is the NBA's 65-game threshold for postseason awards?
The NBA's 65-game threshold requires players to participate in at least 65 regular-season games to be eligible for postseason awards.
How does Wembanyama's situation affect other players like Cade Cunningham and Luka Doncic?
Wembanyama's eligibility highlights a discrepancy in the rules that negatively impacts players like Cade Cunningham and Luka Doncic, who did not meet the threshold.
