Giannis pushes back against the 65-game rule: “There’s no margin for error”

The 65-game rule introduced by the NBA to determine eligibility for individual awards continues to spark debate. After months of silence and half-criticisms, Giannis Antetokounmpo has now spoken out openly, laying bare his concerns about a rule designed to limit load management but which, in his view, ends up penalizing the very superstars most deeply involved in the playoff race.

The leader of the Milwaukee Bucks explained how this threshold has become an added burden in seasons that are increasingly long and physically taxing – especially for players who aim, year after year, to go all the way.

A rule that doesn’t truly reward real consistency

Antetokounmpo pointed out that, in his 13-year NBA career, he has almost always surpassed the 65-game mark. The only exception – excluding the shortened COVID seasons – came in 2022-23, when he finished with 63 games played due to minor physical issues.

That year, however, the rule was not yet in effect, and Giannis was still named to an All-NBA Team.

I’ll be honest. In 13 years in the NBA, I think I’ve played at least 65 games every season. I’ll keep trying, I think I can do it again this year, but it’s hard. If you want to be a truly great player, help your team go deep in the playoffs, then come back the next year and play 65 games again, it becomes complicated.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Today, the scenario is very different. This season, he has played 24 of the Bucks’ first 38 games. With 14 absences already, he can miss at most three more games to remain eligible. A situation that highlights the growing pressure on players as the calendar moves forward.

At first I was in favor of it, I thought it could help me. But the more time passes, the older I get, the more I think: take it out. But these are the rules, and you have to respect them.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Not just Giannis: the risk affects all superstars

According to Antetokounmpo, this is not an isolated case. He openly mentioned Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Victor Wembanyama, stressing how many of the league’s faces risk missing out on awards because of a single injury.

I’ve been All-NBA for nine straight years—seven times First Team. Being consistent isn’t easy. Adding a rule like this gives you no breaks. The margin for error is minimal: one injury and you’re out of the race. I might not make it. Jokic might not make it. LeBron won’t make it. Wemby might not make it.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

A provocation that raises an uncomfortable question: if, in the end, only a handful of players remain eligible, would the value of individual awards really be enhanced?

The Jokic case and the NBA MVP race

The issue becomes even more delicate when looking at Nikola Jokic’s situation. The Denver Nuggets center was firmly in the race for his fourth MVP before suffering a knee hyperextension on December 30 against Miami. Since then, he has already missed seven games and could be sidelined for at least a month.

Statistically, Jokic was putting together a historic season: 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 11 assists per game, leading the NBA in rebounds and assists, while also topping PER, Box Plus/Minus, and offensive rating. Numbers that fuel a growing question: is it fair that a single injury can erase an MVP-caliber season?

The paradox is striking, especially considering that Jokic is among the players least inclined to load management – the very behavior the rule was meant to discourage.

A rule that could weigh on legacies as well

It’s no coincidence that Kenyon Martin has openly warned about the risk of this rule “staining” the historical legacy of certain champions. Looking at the cases of Antetokounmpo and Jokic, it’s hard to disagree.

The sense is that the NBA now finds itself at a crossroads: defend a rigid rule or revisit its application to distinguish between planned rest and unavoidable absences. Because if the line between protecting the product and penalizing the very best becomes too thin, the real losers may be the awards the league is trying to protect.