LeBron James will miss his 18th game of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday when they host Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. He won't hit the 65-game mark to make him eligible for end-of-season awards, so his All-NBA streak will end at 21 seasons.
The NBA needs to address the 65-game threshold implemented to curb load management, not just because of LeBron. There should be a special set of rules, though, for players 40 and up who are still going at it. Load management is a necessity at age 41.
In all seriousness, the league needs to hit the drawing board again. Not only do players have to play in at least 65 games, which equates to about 80% of the regular-season games, but they have to play at least 20 minutes in each contest.
An 82-game season is long and grueling, especially when you factor in back-to-backs. The NBA won't shorten it, so the least they can do is reduce the number of games required to be eligible for end-of-season awards.
LeBron officially won't hit 65-game mark with the Lakers this season
LeBron isn't the only player to get burned by the rule implemented in 2023, and he won't be the last. Nikola Jokić can only miss one more game this season to be eligible, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is out with an abdominal strain, could also come up short of the 65-game mark. Even Luka may not be eligible, as he's missed 11 games and counting (including Tuesday). You can't miss more than 17.
The NBA announced a $76 billion, 11-year broadcast agreement in 2024 with ESPN/ABC, NBC, and Amazon Prime. The 65-game mark was an incentive for those broadcast partners, as it helps ensure that star players will be available for games they air.
While that makes sense, the requirement isn't the solution the league needs to roll with. It's already hurt one too many stars, and anyway, the NBA doesn't have a history of players winning awards who were actively dodging games. It has done more harm than good.
LeBron didn't need to make All-NBA for the 22nd consecutive season to solidify his all-time resume, but the fact that he will no longer be eligible to do so isn't fair. The league would rather that he, and other stars, be in as good of shape as possible in time for the playoffs, right? You'd think so.