League exceptions swing MVP doors open for Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham, intensifying the race and challenging Wembanyama's path to the award.
The NBA’s controversial 65-game rule just took another dramatic turn, and it could have major ripple effects on the MVP race.
The league has officially ruled that Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons are now eligible for end-of-season awards after successfully filing “extraordinary circumstances” challenges.
Both players fell just short of the 65-game minimum—each appearing in 64—but were granted exceptions due to legitimate absences, including injury and personal reasons.
That decision reshapes the MVP landscape overnight.
Before this ruling, the field had quietly narrowed. Players like San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama—who pushed through injury late in the season just to qualify—benefited from a thinner pool of eligible superstars. The Spurs phenom made sure to meet the requirement, even delivering a dominant 40-point performance in a must-play game to secure eligibility.
Now, the door has been reopened for two elite competitors.
Dončić, in particular, re-enters the race as a serious threat. Averaging over 33 points along with elite playmaking and rebounding numbers, he has both the statistical dominance and narrative appeal voters often reward. Cunningham’s case is different but still impactful—his leadership in guiding Detroit to a top seed in the East adds another compelling storyline.
For Wembanyama, this complicates things.
On one hand, his two-way dominance still makes him one of the most unique candidates in years. On the other hand, MVP voting historically leans toward offensive engines on winning teams, an area where guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dončić especially thrive.
There’s also a broader implication: consistency versus circumstance. Wembanyama met the rules as written, despite the rib injury he had to overcome at the end of the season. Dončić and Cunningham benefited from exceptions. While voters aren’t supposed to factor that in, narratives often creep into ballots. Some may view Wembanyama’s durability and commitment as a quiet advantage; others may focus purely on production.
Ultimately, this ruling doesn’t remove Wemby from the MVP conversation—but it does raise the bar.
What once looked like a clearer path is now a crowded, high-stakes race. And for a young Spurs star already redefining expectations, that just means one thing: he’ll have to be undeniable.