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Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley ripped NBA players Sunday night over player complaints about the 65-game eligibility rule to be considered for awards and honors.
The NBA requires players to play at least 65 games to be considered for the league’s highest honors. The rule became a source of consternation this year in a hotly contested MVP race, as some players who have played at a high level have missed out on consideration.
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Former Phoenix Suns player Charles Barkley sits courtside during an NBA Cup game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Nov. 21, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
But Barkley had no time for the players’ complaints.
“I don’t think 65 games is a lot to ask,” he said. “Man, shut the hell up. You voted for it in the collective bargaining agreement, now you’re going to complain. If you weren’t sitting on your a– half the time sipping margaritas and stuff, they wouldn’t have put the 65 game threshold in there. Now shut up.”
The San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic came in separate when it came to qualifying.
Wembanyama played 64 games in the regular season, with the NBA Cup Finals counting in the total. Jokic hit the 65-game minimum after playing 18 minutes against the Spurs on Sunday. Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also in contention after playing in 68 games.
Former Phoenix Suns player Charles Barkley attends an NBA Cup game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 21, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
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But Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who is having one of the best seasons of his NBA career, will not be eligible after playing just 64 games and missing time with a collapsed lung.
Cunningham’s injury prompted a statement from the National Basketball Players Association last month.
“Cade Cunningham’s potential exclusion for postseason awards after a career-defining season is a clear indictment of the 65-game rule and another example of why it needs to be abolished or reformed to create an exception for significant injuries,” the union said. “Since its implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota.”
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham dribbles the ball as Indiana Pacers guard Ethan Thompson defends during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 12, 2026. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)
NBA commissioner Adam Silver stood firmly behind the rule.
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“I’m not ready to say it’s not working,” Silver said in March. “It works. I’m not ready to say that because there’s a sense of unfairness to one player, the rule doesn’t work.”
