NBA awards: Which players would have lost accolades with the 65-game rule?
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:
Allen Iverson
One All-NBA 2nd Team selection in 2001-02 (60 games played)
Andre Iguodala
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2013-14 (63 games played)
Andrei Kirilenko
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2004-05 (41 games played)
Anfernee Hardaway
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 1996-97 (59 games played)
Avery Bradley
Bam Adebayo
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2021-22 (56 games played)
Ben Simmons
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2019-20 (57 games played)
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2019-20 (57 games played)
Bernard King
One All-NBA 1st Team in 1984-85 (55 games played)
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 1990-91 (64 games played)
Bill Walton
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)
Bob Love
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1974-75 (61 games played)
Bob Pettit
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 1964-65 (50 games played)
Bruce Bowen
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2001-02 (59 games played)
Chris Paul
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)
Chris Webber
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 2001-02 (54 games played)
Damian Lillard
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2022-23 (58 games played)
Dan Roundfield
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 1981-82 (61 games played)
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1980-81 (63 games played)
DeMarcus Cousins
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 2014-15 (59 games played)
Dennis Rodman
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)
Draymond Green
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2021-22 (46 games played)
Dwyane Wade
Two All-NBA 3rd Teams in 2006-07 and 2011-12 (51 and 49 games played, respectively)
Elgin Baylor
One All-NBA 1st Team in 1961-62 (48 games played)
Giannis Antetokounmpo
One All-NBA 1st Team in 2022-23 (63 games played)
Gus Johnson
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 1965-66 (41 games played)
Hakeem Olajuwon
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 1990-91 (56 games played)
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1990-91 (56 games played)
Horace Grant
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1995-96 (63 games played)
Ja Morant
One Most Improved Player in 2021-22 (57 games played)
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 2021-22 (57 games played)
Jaren Jackson Jr.
One Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23 (63 games played)
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2022-23 (63 games played)
Jerry Sloan
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1969-70 (53 games played)
Jerry West
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)
Jimmy Butler
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)
Joakim Noah
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2010-11 (48 games played)
Joel Embiid
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)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 1977-78 (62 games played)
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1977-78 (62 games played)
Kawhi Leonard
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)
Kevin Durant
Two All-NBA 2nd Teams in 2016-17 and 2021-22 (62 and 55 games played, respectively)
Kevin Garnett
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2008-09 (57 games played)
Kevin McHale
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 1987-88 (64 games played)
Kyrie Irving
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2021-21 (54 games played)
Larry Hughes
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2004-05 (61 games played)
LeBron James
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)
Lionel Hollins
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1978-79 (64 games played)
Marcus Camby
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2005-06 (56 games played)
Metta World Peace
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2005-06 (56 games played)
Michael Cooper
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 1987-88 (61 games played)
Nate Thurmond
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1973-74 (62 games played)
Patrick Beverley
Two All-Defensive 2nd Teams in 2013-14 and 2019-20 (56 and 51 games played, respectively)
Paul George
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2020-21 (54 games played)
Paul Pressey
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 1986-87 (61 games played)
Pete Maravich
One All-NBA 1st Team in 1975-76 (62 games played)
One All-NBA 2nd Team in 1977-78 (50 games played)
Robert Williams
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2021-22 (61 games played)
Rudy Gobert
One Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017-18 (56 games played)
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2017-18 (56 games played)
Russell Westbrook
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 2019-20 (57 games played)
Scottie Pippen
One All-NBA 3rd Team in 1997-98 (44 games played)
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 1997-98 (44 games played)
Shane Battier
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2008-09 (60 games played)
Shaquille O'Neal
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)
Stephen Curry
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)
Tony Allen
One All-Defensive 1st Team in 2014-15 (63 games played)
One All-Defensive 2nd Team in 2015-16 (64 games played)