Luka Doncic posted a message on social media thanking the NBPA, the NBA for making it happen, and the Lakers organization for allowing him to travel to Europe to visit his newborn daughter in December.
"I am grateful to the NBPA for advocating on my behalf and to the NBA for their fair decision," Doncic wrote on social media.
"It was so important to me to be present for the birth of my daughter in December and I appreciate Mark, Jeanie, Rob, JJ, 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," he added.
Doncic missed two games in December due to the birth of his child abroad and ultimately appeared in 64 regular-season games before suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain.
The NBA and NBPA agreed that, taking into account the totality of the circumstances for Doncic, the player is eligible for awards under the extraordinary circumstances provision in the CBA.
Source: https://basketnews.com/news-245238-luka-doncic-reacts-to-becoming-eligible-for-nba-awards.html
Under the rule, players need to play 65 games to be eligible for end-of-season awards. A game can be counted if the player plays for at least 20 minutes. However, some exceptions can be made.
Their eligibility can be retained provided they played 62 games, which should represent at least 85 percent (62-64) of the team’s season and suffered a season-ending injury. They can also file for the “extraordinary circumstances” exception.
Luka, who went down with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and Cade cannot appeal for the first exception. Both played 64 games but failed to meet the 85-percent requirement. Their saving grace would be the latter.
Doncic missed two games when he went to Slovenia to visit his two daughters amid a tough custody battle, while Cunningham was on pace to meet 65 games until his injury. In Green’s opinion, remarkable seasons like theirs should not go to waste because of the rule’s “unintended consequences.”
“No one expects him to have a collapsed lung and need three more games, and then not be able to play. The rule was never put in place to punish someone like Cade and what he just went through,” he explained on the Draymond Green Show. “But those are the unintended consequences of the rule. That’s where this gets tricky, because now the process starts feeling selective instead of principled.”