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    Lakers’ Luka Doncic deemed eligible for end-of-season-awards
    • April 16, 2026

    LOS ANGELES — Luka Doncic’s quest for MVP honors isn’t over yet.

    The NBA and NBA players association agreed Thursday that Doncic should be eligible for NBA postseason awards despite not reaching the 65-game threshold.

    Doncic, along with Detroit guard Cade Cunningham, had their eligibility reinstated through the extraordinary circumstances provision of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

    The NBA scoring champion, with 33.5 points per game to go with averages of 8.3 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game, can now receive votes for MVP and All-NBA recognition among annual awards.

    Doncic’s case revolved around leaving the Lakers for Slovenia in December, missing a pair of games for the birth of his second child. After suffering his Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2, the same game in which guard Austin Reaves sustained a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury, the Slovenian star’s regular season concluded after having appeared in only 64 games.

    As soon as the Lakers announced Doncic’s regular season as over, Doncic’s agent Bill Duffy made clear that they would apply for arbitration under the provision.

    “I am grateful to the NBPA for advocating on my behalf and to the NBA for their fair decision,” Doncic said in a statement on X. “It was so important to me to be present for the birth of my daughter in December and I appreciate Mark (Walter), Jeanie (Buss), Rob (Pelinka), JJ (Redick), and the entire Lakers organization for fully supporting me and allowing me to travel to be there. This season has been so special to me because of what my teammates and I have been able to accomplish, and I am honored to have the opportunity to be considered for the league’s end-of-season awards.”

    It turns out, the league and the players didn’t need arbitration, agreeing that Doncic’s untimely exit for fatherhood met the threshold to not count as missed games and cancel Doncic’s case for his first-career MVP award. Doncic is set to return from Europe on Friday after having received medical treatment to attempt to expedite his recovery, according to multiple reports, but remains unlikely to suit up in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

    Lakers coach JJ Redick said Tuesday that Doncic and Reaves remain “out indefinitely” and he would not be providing any additional updates before the Lakers play the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.

    Cunningham’s case was due to a collapsed lung he suffered in March, keeping him out of the final 12 games of the regular season and in a holding pattern at 62 games played.

    Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, however, had his case for becoming awards-eligible denied by an independent arbitrator. Edwards had played in 60 games during the 2025-26 season.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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