Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs helped usher in the NBA's 65-game rule for individual awards, and the Spurs might now have the best case to revert the rule.
When the NBA instituted its 65-game requirement for awards and All-NBA teams in 2023, it was generally met with a positive reception. Fans were tired of great players on bad teams being rewarded despite playing a much smaller slate of games.
Since then, Victor Wembanyama has been denied at least one All-Defensive team nod, Luka Doncic (who led the league in scoring this season) will not be eligible, and neither will Cade Cunningham.
Before the league made the rule, the San Antonio Spurs had a long history of giving their best - and aging - players a night off. Players like LeBron James would rest just to preserve their bodies for more important games, and fans and Adam Silver were both fed up.
Led by Wemby's DPOTY candidacy, the NBA has since been urged to undo its rule.
Installing a Limit Misses a Key Point
There are some exceptions, but generally, the MVP is the best player on one of the very best teams in the NBA. Franchises in the running for a title usually only rest their stars for good reason. Injuries and the occasional "load management" are fine; it was when players like James, Joel Embiid, and Kawhi Leonard missed games for less-obvious reasons or with more frequency that the league cracked down.
Players like Wembanyama, Cunningham, Doncic, and Anthony Edwards did not want to miss a single game this season, and their impact on their teams' success was insane.
Still, there is a very real punishment, and as contracts are limited by accolades, there are millions of dollars on the table.
When Popovich rested Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Danny Green in 2012 during a marquee game against James' Miami Heat, the league was irate, fining the team a quarter million dollars. However, those Spurs made the Finals.
Other teams were quick to realize that a loss here or there was worth saving their best players for the postseason. The league, which is built on TV revenue and ticketing numbers, saw things differently.
However, as players with legitimate cases for All-NBA honors are being held back this season, the NBA will likely look long and hard at its rule. The Spurs may have been at fault for it being ushered in in the first place, and they might be responsible for the removal of it.