NBA "65-Game" Rule Costing Players Awards and Millions

NBA’s 65-game rule has top players expressing their frustrations

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In recent weeks, the NBA’s 65-game rule has impacted the earning potential of the league's brightest stars. Midway through the season, several notable stars were sidelined with injuries and approaching ineligibility. Here’s a list of notable players who’ve missed over 10 games this season: Lauri Markkanen, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jimmy Bulter, Jamal Murry, Kristaps Porzingis, Kyrie Irving, Evan Mobley, LaMelo Ball, Darius Garland, Zach Lavine, Bradley Beal, Mitchell Robinson, and Marcus Smart. A notable case is the reigning MVP Joel Embiid. The 76ers star is having a career-best season, leading the NBA in scoring with 35.3 points and adding 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Embiid suffered a lateral meniscus knee injury suffered against the Golden State Warriors on Jan 30. The 76ers recently announced that Embiid has undergone a knee procedure and will be out for at least four weeks. It's evident that Embiid will fall short of the 65-game requirement to earn post-season awards, but the reigning MVP has his sights set on a post-season return.

What is the 65-Game Rule ?

The league's new rule accounts for all players to participate in 65 games for at least 20 minutes to be eligible for major individual awards: Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of The Year, Most Improved, and All-NBA honours. Under this rule, players can miss 20% of games. In addition, there are protections against season-ending injuries (62 games) and bad faith circumstances. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the league office put this rule in place to emphasize the importance of its regular season while protecting the paying customers spending money to see their favourite players on the court. In recent years, the era of load management has kept the league's top 25 players missing over 25% of games. The NBA's Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars, stated that the collective efforts of the league, stakeholders, and the NBPA found that 17 games was a good number on the cutoff point on the 65-game requirement.

65-Game Rule Can Cost Tyrese Halliburton $41 Million

Photo by (Ian Mule/Associated Press)

The Indiana Pacers star has missed 13 games due to a hamstring injury, and missing four more games would deem Haliburton ineligible for all post-season awards. The two-time all-star is in the final year of his contract, and not meeting the 65-game requirement can cost him a difference of $41 million via his new contract extension. The two-time all-star has been named as a starter for the first time in his career and should receive All-NBA honours if stays healthy.

If so, his five-year contract starts at 30% of the team's salary cap which is around $141 million. Under the NBA’s recent salary cap projections, Haliburton’s next deal would be a five-year $245.3 million if he receives All-NBA honours. If Haliburton is not awarded All-NBA honours due to ineligibility of the 65-game requirement, he will earn $204.5 million. Haliburton expressed his frustrations about the 65-game rule “I think it's a stupid rule, like plenty of the guys in the league, but this is what the owners want, so as players, we gotta do our job and play in 65 games if we're able to”. The bottom line is that Haliburton needs to stay healthy in order to secure the $41 million on the table.

The implications of the 65-game rule have left players a little uneasy . Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors wasted no time in addressing that he is not a fan of the rule. “its quite bulls—”. Green believes that Embiid returned back from his injury because of the 65-game rule, but ultimately forced it resulting in an injury. “I don't really bang with it and now we've got one of our premier faces in this league, the MVP of our league possibly hurt for an extended period of time because he's forcing it.”

But there’s no inclinations of adjusting the 65-game rule. Commissioner Adam Silver and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), will go to market for their upcoming TV Rights deal with an estimated cost of $8 billion. From a business perspective, the league needs cooperation from the players in order to retain high value of the NBA. The premier faces of the league is one of it not the biggest asset for shareholders and partners.

Written by: Hussein Abdullahi

Nike Supports Grizzlies' Star Ja Morant after Viral IG Live Video

Nike Stands in Support of Grizzlies’ Ja Morant after Viral Video

Nike has decided to support their youngest superstar Ja Morant following an Instagram live video circulating online. This comes months after the corporate sneaker giant cut ties with NBA star guard Kyrie Irving. In the video, Morant brandished a firearm while at a nightclub in Denver. In the following hours, the Memphis Grizzlies suspended Morant for two games. On Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Ja Morant is suspended for eight games for conduct detrimental to the league. The suspension covers the six games missed, including Wednesday night vs. The Heat. Morant has left a counselling program in Florida and is eligible to play on Monday vs. Dallas Mavericks. To conclude the NBA’s ongoing investigation Morant met with the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on this matter. The meeting finalized the last step in the process for Morant. Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement and said,

“ Ja's conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him. He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior.”

The investigation included extensive reports of which Morant was the subject. The allegation of Morant included threatening a mall security guard and punching a teenager during a pick-up basketball game. Despite Morant’s problematic behavior, Nike released a statement and said,

"We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support the prioritization of his well-being.”

Nike, which has a signature sneaker line with Morant, received backlash from fans for backing the Grizzlies star. A few months earlier, Nike ended its partnership with NBA star Kyrie Irving. Nike failed to publicly support Irving, raising an uproar across the sports world. Several NBA players expressed their thoughts on Nike’s stance, highlighting the company’s selective morality. Still, that has not stopped the corporate sneaker giant from unethical business practices. Their history of human rights violations in Asia and the diametrically opposite stances involving Morant-Irving highlights the lack of corporate leadership. Phil Knight openly expressed “Kyrie stepped over the line It’s kind of that simple. He made some statements that we just can’t abide by, and that’s why we ended the relationship. I was fine with that.”

The hypocrisy of Nike for their lack of action showed towards Grizzlies star Morant proves that endorsing a product in exchange for millions is more important than company values. In other words — Nike cares about millions over ethics. Nike continues to leverage brand partnerships to maximize their ROI. The Morant case highlights the problematic dangers corporate sneaker brands face when partnering with athletes in exchange for millions. Morant is a two-time All-Star, former Rookie of the Year, and Most Improved player. Morant is touted as the young face of the league, and that comes with a certain sense of responsibility. As for, Nike, they’ve doubled down on their investment. Morant will have to keep a squeaky-clean image for his career.

Written by: Hussein Abdullahi

Featuring: Ja Morant

Published By: TGQ Inc.