Under the new CBA, if players don’t play in at least 65 games, they are automatically disqualified from winning awards. Just this season, reigning MVP winner Joel Embiid has already been deemed ineligible for an end-of-season award because of this rule.
It’s February.
Joel Embiid headlines the list of players who are already ineligible for end-of-season NBA awards. pic.twitter.com/KTa9tTUkv8
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) February 11, 2024
Today, we’re going to look through NBA history at some of the players in the past who have won end-of-season honors despite playing in fewer than 65 games (or 79.26 percent of contests). What accolades would NBA players lose if the league retroactively applied this new rule?
Among those who would see some of their awards wiped out are Bill Walton, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Shaquille O’Neal.
Check out the full list below:
TOM MIHALEK/AFP via Getty Images
One All-NBA 2nd Team selection in 2001-02 (60 games played)
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2013-14 (63 games played)
Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2004-05 (41 games played)
TONY RANZE/AFP via Getty Images
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 1996-97 (59 games played)
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2012-13 (50 games played)
Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2021-22 (56 games played)
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2019-20 (57 games played)
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2019-20 (57 games played)
Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images
One All-NBA 1st Team in 1984-85 (55 games played)
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 1990-91 (64 games played)
Focus on Sport/Getty Images
One MVP in 1977-78 (58 games played)
One All-NBA 1st Team in 1977-78 (58 games played)
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 1977-78 (58 games played)
Focus on Sport/Getty Images
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1974-75 (61 games played)
NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 1964-65 (50 games played)
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2001-02 (59 games played)
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 1st Team in 2013-14 (62 games played)
Two All-Defensive 1st Teams in 2013-14 and 2016-17 (62 and 61 games played, respectively)
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 2001-02 (54 games played)
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2022-23 (58 games played)
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Network.
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 1981-82 (61 games played)
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1980-81 (63 games played)
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 2014-15 (59 games played)
AP Photo/Fred Jewell
Three All-Defensive 1st Teams in 1992-93, 1994-95 and 1995-96 (62, 49, and 64 games played, respectively)
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 1994-95 (49 games played)
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2021-22 (46 games played)
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Two All-NBA 3rd Teams in 2006-07 and 2011-12 (51 and 49 games played, respectively)
Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 1st Team in 1961-62 (48 games played)
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 1st Team in 2022-23 (63 games played)
Focus on Sport/Getty Images
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 1965-66 (41 games played)
BOB STRONG/AFP via Getty Images
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 1990-91 (56 games played)
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1990-91 (56 games played)
JOHN RUTHROFF/AFP via Getty Images
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1995-96 (63 games played)
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
One Most Improved Player in 2021-22 (57 games played)
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 2021-22 (57 games played)
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
One Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23 (63 games played)
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2022-23 (63 games played)
Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1969-70 (53 games played)
George Long/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
One All-NBA 1st Team in 1962-63 (55 games played)
Two All-NBA 2nd Teams in 1967-68 and 1968-69 (55 and 61 games played, respectively)
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1968-69 (61 games played)
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 2022-23 (64 games played)
Two All-NBA 3rd Teams in 2017-18 and 2020-21 (59 and 52 games played, respectively)
Two All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2017-18 and 2020-21 (59 and 52 games played)
Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2010-11 (48 games played)
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Three All-NBA 2nd Teams in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2020-21 (63, 64 and 51 games played, respectively)
Three All-Defensive 2nd Teams in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2020-21 (63, 64 and 51 games played, respectively)
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Network.
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 1977-78 (62 games played)
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1977-78 (62 games played)
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
One Defensive Player of the Year award in 2014-15 (64 games played)
One All-NBA 1st Team selection in 2020-21 (52 games played)
Two All-NBA 2nd Team selections in 2018-19 and 2019-20 (60 and 57 games played, respectively)
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2014-15 (64 games played)
Three All-Defensive 2nd Team selections in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 (60, 57 and 52 games played, respectively)
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Two All-NBA 2nd Teams in 2016-17 and 2021-22 (62 and 55 games played, respectively)
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2008-09 (57 games played)
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 1987-88 (64 games played)
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2021-21 (54 games played)
Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2004-05 (61 games played)
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 2020-21 (45 games played)
Three All-NBA 3rd Teams in 2018-19, 2021-22 and 2022-23 (55, 56 and 55 games played, respectively)
Hank Delespinasse/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1978-79 (64 games played)
Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2005-06 (56 games played)
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2005-06 (56 games played)
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 1987-88 (61 games played)
AP Photo/File
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1973-74 (62 games played)
Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Two All-Defensive 2nd Teams in 2013-14 and 2019-20 (56 and 51 games played, respectively)
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2020-21 (54 games played)
Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1986-87 (61 games played)
Tony Triolo/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
One All-NBA 1st Team in 1975-76 (62 games played)
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 1977-78 (50 games played)
Amanda Loman/Getty Images
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2021-22 (61 games played)
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
One Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017-18 (56 games played)
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2017-18 (56 games played)
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2019-20 (57 games played)
Jonathan Daniel/Allsport
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 1997-98 (44 games played)
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 1997-98 (44 games played)
Getty Images
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2008-09 (60 games played)
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Two All-NBA 1st Teams in 1997-98 and 2005-06 (60 and 59 games played, respectively)
Two All-NBA 3rd Teams in 1995-96 and 1996-97 (54 and 51 games played, respectively)
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Two All-NBA 2nd Teams in 2021-22 and 2022-23 (64 and 56 games played, respectively)
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2017-18 (51 games played)
Jason Miller/Getty Images
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2014-15 (63 games played)
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2015-16 (64 games played)
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 2006-07 (48 games played)
Two All-NBA 3rd Team in 2005-06 and 2007-08 (57 and 55 games played, respectively)
