The National Basketball Players Association is calling for changes to the NBA's controversial 65-game rule after Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung. The union argues that Cunningham's potential ineligibility for postseason awards despite a career-defining season exposes the rule's fundamental flaws. The NBPA contends that the arbitrary threshold unfairly penalizes players who miss games due to legitimate injuries.

Cunningham has appeared in 61 games this season but faces missing several more while recovering from his collapsed lung. His agent, Jeff Schwartz, told ESPN that if Cunningham falls short of the games-played threshold due to legitimate injury, it should not disqualify him from recognition he has clearly earned. The union stated that since the rule's implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors.

The controversy extends beyond Cunningham, with LeBron James set to see his 21-year All-NBA streak end and other stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry also falling short of eligibility. While MVP front-runners Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic can still miss a few games, Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell acknowledged the rule's difficulty, noting that players aren't resting but dealing with legitimate injuries that are beyond their control.