LeBron Calls for Rules Change for NBA Awards, 'Game is Different' from 1980s-90s

As the 2025-26 NBA MVP race thins out with many of the usual suspects not likely to be eligible for postseason awards, LeBron James is calling on the league to get rid of the 65-game rule.

On the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast (starts at 25:20 mark), James explained that the "game is different" from the 1980s and '90s when the pace was much slower than it is now.

Prior to the 2023-24 season, the NBA board of governors voted to approve a change that required players to play at least 65 games to be eligible for awards and the All-NBA team.

The rule was presented as a way to curb load management concerns, especially pertaining to high-profile and/or nationally televised games, but the downside of it is punishing players for injuries that are out of their control.

For instance, Nikola Jokić suffered a hyperextended left knee when his foot was accidentally stepped on by teammate Spencer Jones during a defensive possession against the Miami Heat on Dec. 29.

The Denver Nuggets said after the diagnosis that Jokić would be reevaluated in four weeks. He has missed 14 games and has already been ruled out for Tuesday's matchup with the Detroit Pistons, so he can only miss two more games the rest of the season to maintain awards-eligibility.

Jokić was arguably the MVP frontrunner at the time of the injury, averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11.0 assists per game.

Other notable MVP and All-NBA candidates who have dealt with injuries this season that will have them on the bubble or already unable to meet the 65-game threshold include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid.

NBA teams are playing faster now than ever before. Twenty-nine out of 30 teams average more than 100 possessions per game this season. Going back a decade ago to the 2015-16 season, only 13 teams averaged at least 100 possessions per game.

A faster style of play means players are more susceptible to injuries, particularly soft-tissue ailments like a strained hamstring or calf that can linger even after someone has been cleared to return.

Antetokounmpo, for example, has dealt with four different calf strains since the start of the 2024-25 season.

Even though the NBA's original intent with the 65-game rule may have been about wanting to make sure players weren't sitting out marquee games, attaching awards and contractual incentives to it may have had the unintended side effect of what we are seeing now with so many superstars missing long periods of time.