Anthony Edwards had no luck. Although Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham failed to appear in 65 games during the 2025-26 NBA season, they will be eligible for awards. Meanwhile, “Ant Man” won’t.
As reported by insider Shams Charania, Doncic and Cunningham are still in contention for awards such as Most Valuable Player (MVP) and All-NBA selections despite playing in less than 65 games this season—the minimum required to be eligible for annual awards.
However, Doncic and Cunningham appealed under the Extraordinary Circumstances provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and the NBA and Players Association (NBAPA) ruled in their favor. Edwards, who appeared in 60 games this campaign, also filed a challenge, but he didn’t have the same luck as the Lakers and Pistons point guards. After all, four games may make a huge difference.
NBA sends out official statement
“The NBA and NBAPA agreed that, taking into account the totality of the circumstances for Cunningham and Doncic, each player qualified for awards under the extraordinary circumstances provision in the CBA,” the NBA’s statement read.
Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates.
“Edwards, who played in 60 qualified games, filed an extraordinary circumstances challenge seeking award eligibility before an independent arbitrator. Edwards’ challenge was denied and, as a result, he is not eligible for annual awards in the 2025-26 NBA regular season.”
Why Doncic’s challenge was successful
Though they still put up very strong numbers, Doncic, Cunningham, and Edwards fought setbacks and injuries all season long. The Slovenian star has been dealing with a hamstring Grade 2 strain recently. Doncic flew to Spain to undergo special treatment.
As he returned to the City of Angels, the Lakers learned Doncic may not return before Game 3 of the first round series against the Houston Rockets in the NBA Playoffs. However, the league explained his challenge was successful not because of the injuries, but because he appeared in 64 qualified games, and missed two games when he attended the birth of his daughter in Slovenia.
Cunningham and Edwards’ cases
As for Cunningham, he missed a large portion of the 2025–26 schedule due to a collapsed left lung. Thus, as he appeared in 63 qualified games, per the NBA’s statement, the league took into account the rarity of his setback, which caused him to fall short of the 65-game criteria.
Edwards has dealt with knee issues, and that largely explains his games total being below 65. However, the NBA believes that isn’t quite an “extraordinary circumstance.” As a result, Edwards, who finished the year with an average of 28.8 points (third-best in the league), is now out of the race for MVP and All-NBA teams. Doncic (33.5 PPG average, best in the league) and Cunningham are still in contention for awards.
| LUKA DONCIC | ANTHONY EDWARDS | CADE CUNNINGHAM |
| 64 GAMES | 60 GAMES | 63 GAMES |
| 33.5 PPG | 28.8 PPG | 23.9 PPG |
| 7.7 REB | 5.0 REB | 5.5 REB |
| 8.3 AST | 3.7 AST | 9.9 AST |
| 35.8 MIN | 35.0 MIN | 33.9 MIN |
