NBA 65-game rule: which games actually count?

Which awards have the 65-game requirement?

Article XXIX, Section 6 of the 2023 NBA–NBPA agreement names five honors or team selections: MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, All-NBA teams and All-Defensive teams. The requirement applies to first, second and third All-NBA teams and both All-Defensive teams. CBA §6(a), printed page 432.

Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, All-Rookie teams, All-Star selection and Finals MVP are not in this section’s list. That does not mean those honors have no selection rules; it means this particular threshold does not govern them.

Twenty minutes, with two shorter-game allowances

A regular-season appearance normally counts when the player logs at least 20 minutes. Across the season, up to two appearances of at least 15 minutes but fewer than 20 can also count. A third short appearance does not add another qualifying game. An appearance under 15 minutes does not count toward the ordinary threshold. CBA §6(a)(i)(B), printed page 433.

Do not round 19:59 up to 20:00 or 14:59 up to 15:00. These are game-by-game thresholds, not an average-minutes test. The provision counts regular-season games, so playoff appearances do not fill a regular-season shortfall.

Worked examples

• 63 games at 20+ minutes, plus two at 15–19:59: 65 counted games; the ordinary threshold is met.
• 62 games at 20+ minutes, plus three at 15–19:59: 64 counted games. Only two of the three short appearances count.
• 65 appearances, including three under 15 minutes: if the other 62 all reached 20 minutes, the ordinary count is 62. The headline GP total is not enough.

Three distinct paths when the ordinary count falls short

1. The 62-game season-ending-injury route

This requires all three conditions: at least 62 qualifying regular-season games, a season-ending injury under the CBA definition, and participation in at least 85% of the team’s regular-season games before the injury. The same minutes definition applies. This is not an automatic exemption for any player who reaches 62 appearances. CBA §6(a), pages 432–433.

The medical definition requires a physician jointly selected by the NBA and NBPA to conclude it is substantially more likely than not that the player cannot play through the following May 31. An “out” label on an injury tracker does not establish that assessment. CBA §6(a)(i)(A).

2. Award Eligibility Grievance

The player must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the team deliberately limited minutes or games with the intention of denying award eligibility. This route is restricted to cases where an award could affect the specified higher-maximum-salary or designated-veteran contract eligibility; it is not a general appeal for every absence. The System Arbitrator decides the grievance. CBA §6(b)(i)–(iv), pages 433–434.

The stated filing deadline is within two days of the point when 65 games becomes mathematically impossible, and no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern on the day after the regular season ends. The NBA and NBPA may reasonably modify procedural deadlines by agreement when circumstances warrant. CBA §6(b)(v)–(ix), pages 435–436.

3. Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge

The player must establish that extraordinary circumstances made one or more missed games impracticable, that playing those games would have satisfied the ordinary 65-game criterion, and that exclusion would be unjust considering the whole situation—including other games the player could have played. An independent expert jointly selected by the NBA and NBPA decides this challenge. CBA §6(c)(i)–(iii), pages 436–437.

The stated filing window begins at noon Eastern on the last day of the regular season and ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern the following day, subject to the agreement’s deadline-modification provision. A successful challenge establishes eligibility; merely filing one does not. A player cannot bring both this challenge and an Award Eligibility Grievance for the same season. CBA §6(c)(v)–(x), pages 437–438; §6(a)(ii).

Why we do not label players eligible from GP alone

A reliable player tracker needs complete game-by-game minutes and any relevant official exception decisions. Our statistics leaders and injury listings answer different questions. Neither should be read as an official award-eligibility list. Past recipients are available in the awards archive.