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The NBA and National Basketball Players Association agreed Thursday to grant Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham eligibility for end-of-season awards despite both falling short of the 65-game minimum, citing extraordinary circumstances under the collective bargaining agreement.
Doncic played 64 games, missing two in December to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia. Cunningham appeared in 63 games after missing 12 due to a collapsed lung diagnosed on March 17.
The league and union stated they evaluated the totality of circumstances for each player and determined they qualified for awards, avoiding arbitration that Anthony Edwards pursued unsuccessfully after playing only 60 games.
