Appeals Open the Door for Late‑Season Stars
The NBA’s recent shift to positionless All‑NBA teams has created a new pathway for players who, despite missing the traditional 65‑game minimum, can still contend for top honors. Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham each finished the season with 64 appearances, a tally that would normally disqualify them, but an appeals process granted them eligibility for both MVP and All‑NBA considerations.
The results of that appeal are already visible in the voting tallies. Doncic landed fourth in the MVP balloting while Cunningham secured fifth, and both are projected to earn first‑team All‑NBA selections. Cunningham’s case was bolstered by two first‑place MVP votes, marking the first time in five years a U.S.-born player has received such support.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Nikola Jokic continues to dominate the MVP conversation. The Denver center finished second in the MVP race for the sixth consecutive season, matching the record set by Bill Russell and Larry Bird. Jokic also maintained the longest active streak of receiving at least one first‑place MVP vote over the past six years.
The broader narrative of the season underscores a striking trend: no player drafted first overall has captured the MVP award in the last 13 years, with the most recent winner being LeBron James in 2013. This context adds weight to the achievements of players like Jokic, Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander and Victor Wembanyama, each of whom appeared on all 100 ballots cast for the MVP race.
Beyond individual accolades, the appeals process itself reflects an evolving NBA philosophy that values performance over rigid participation thresholds. As the league moves toward more fluid positional definitions, the door remains open for extraordinary campaigns — even those limited by injury or rest — to be recognized among the sport’s elite.