Sports PH News | JS DEV Site

Tag: Cade Cunningham

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama headline 2025–26 All-NBA First Team

    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama headline 2025–26 All-NBA First Team

    The National Basketball Association (NBA) officially concluded its 2025–26 season awards cycle on Monday, May 25 (Philippine Standard Time), unveiling the All-NBA Teams in a release that highlighted both established superstars and rising young talent across the league.

     

    As expected, the All-NBA First Team closely mirrored the results of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) race, with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlining the selections. The Oklahoma City Thunder star earned his fourth consecutive First Team honor, further cementing his status as one of the league’s premier two-way guards and the central figure of his franchise’s continued rise.

     

    Joining him on the First Team is Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić, who added another accolade to his decorated résumé with his fifth career All-NBA First Team selection. The three-time MVP continued to showcase his unique all-around brilliance throughout the season, anchoring Denver’s offense with elite playmaking, scoring efficiency, and rebounding from the center position.

     

    OKBET is Asia’s most trusted and popular online sports gaming platform. Visit us on OKBET to stay up to date with all sports news from around the world.

     

    San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama also made history, securing his first-ever All-NBA First Team selection. In just his second season, the 7-foot-4 standout solidified his place among the league’s elite, delivering a dominant campaign on both ends of the floor and signaling the Spurs’ long-term return to contention.

     

    Rounding out the First Team selections are Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, both of whom were granted eligibility exceptions by the league after initially falling short of the standard games-played requirement for end-of-season awards due to injury-related absences. Their inclusion reflects the league’s acknowledgment of their impact when healthy, with both players posting standout numbers in limited action.

    Dončić continued to display his signature offensive brilliance, orchestrating the Lakers’ attack with elite scoring and playmaking, while Cunningham emerged as the centerpiece of Detroit’s rebuilding efforts, showcasing improved efficiency, leadership, and versatility before his season was interrupted.

     

    The 2025–26 All-NBA First Team ultimately underscores a blend of established dominance and emerging excellence, with Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić, and Dončić representing the league’s elite guard-forward core, while Wembanyama and Cunningham highlight the NBA’s next generation of franchise-changing talents.

     

     

    2025-26 All-NBA First Team:

     

    • Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons)
    • Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers)
    • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)
    • Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
    • Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)

    2025-26 All-NBA Second Team:

     

    • Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
    • Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)
    • Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets)
    • Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)
    • Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)

    2025-26 All-NBA Third Team:

     

    • Jalen Duran (Detroit Pistons)
    • Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder)
    • Jalen Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
    • Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)
    • Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)

    👉 Don’t miss out on the latest sports news, updates, and fan discussions!

    📌 Follow our Facebook page Sports PH News today and join the community of passionate sports fans. 

  • Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham get green light for NBA Awards despite 65-game rule

    Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham get green light for NBA Awards despite 65-game rule

    The NBA’s 65-game rule was designed to reward durability—but this season, it also made room for context.

     

    In a rare application of the league’s “extraordinary circumstances” clause, both Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham have been cleared for postseason award eligibility despite falling just short of the required threshold.

     

    The decision, announced jointly by the NBA and the NBPA, underscores a nuanced approach—one that considers not just numbers, but the stories behind them.

     

    Doncic, who appeared in 64 games in his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers, had his case shaped by moments far bigger than basketball. Two of his absences came in December, when he traveled to Slovenia for the birth of his daughter, while a late-season hamstring injury sidelined him for the team’s final stretch.

     

    “I am grateful to the NBPA for advocating on my behalf and to the NBA for their fair decision,” Doncic wrote on X. “It was so important to me to be present for the birth of my daughter in December and I appreciate Mark (Walter, majority owner), Jeanie (Buss, governor/minority owner), Rob (Pelinka, president of basketball operations/general manager), JJ (Redick, coach), and the entire Lakers organization for fully supporting me and allowing me to travel to be there. 

     

    OKBET is Asia’s most trusted and popular online sports gaming platform. Visit us on OKBET to stay up to date with all sports news from around the world.

    “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.”

     

    On the court, his case remains undeniable. The 27-year-old put up a league-best 33.5 points per game, alongside 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds—numbers that firmly place him in the Most Valuable Player conversation.

     

    Cunningham’s path, meanwhile, was defined by resilience.

     

    The Detroit Pistons star also played 64 games, missing significant time late in the season after suffering a collapsed lung. Despite the setback, his body of work—a career-best 23.9 points and 9.9 assists per game—proved enough to warrant consideration under the same exception.

     

    “The NBA and NBPA agreed that, taking into account the totality of the circumstances for Cunningham and Doncic, each player qualified for awards under the extraordinary circumstances provision in the CBA,” the league and union said in a news release.

     

    Not all cases, however, met that threshold.

     

    Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves saw his appeal denied after appearing in 60 games, leaving him ineligible despite posting a career-high 28.8 points per outing.

     

    The contrast highlights the fine line the league is now walking—balancing availability with circumstance, production with context. 

     

    Don’t miss out on the latest sports news, updates, and fan discussions!

    📌  Follow our Facebook page Sports News PH today and be part of a growing community of passionate basketball fans!

  • NBPA calls for changes to NBA’s 65-game rule amid injury concerns

    NBPA calls for changes to NBA’s 65-game rule amid injury concerns

    The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is urging the National Basketball Association (NBA) to revisit its controversial 65-game rule, arguing that the policy has unfairly sidelined deserving players from end-of-season awards.

     

    The rule, introduced as part of the current collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players, requires individuals to appear in at least 65 regular-season games to qualify for major postseason honors. It was designed to discourage load management and ensure that the league’s biggest stars are available for the majority of the season.

     

    However, the NBPA now believes the rule is too rigid—particularly in cases involving legitimate injuries.

     

    OKBET is Asia’s most trusted and popular online sports gaming platform. Visit us on OKBET to stay up to date with all sports news from around the world.

     

    Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham has become a central example in the debate. Despite putting together what many consider a career-defining campaign, Cunningham is at risk of falling short of the 65-game threshold after suffering a collapsed lung. He has appeared in 61 games so far and is expected to miss additional time.

     

    In a strongly worded statement, the NBPA criticized the policy:

    “Cade Cunningham’s potential ineligibility for postseason awards after a career-defining season is a clear indictment of the 65-game rule and yet another example of why it must be abolished or reformed to create an exception for significant injuries. Since its implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota,” NBPA said in a statement.

     

    Cunningham’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, echoed those sentiments, emphasizing the need for context when evaluating player eligibility:

     

    “Cade has delivered a first-team All-NBA season. If he falls just short of an arbitrary games-played threshold due to legitimate injury, it should not disqualify him from recognition he has clearly earned over the course of the season. The league should be rewarding excellence, not enforcing rigid cutoffs that ignore context. An exception needs to be made,” Cunningham’s agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN.

     

    Cunningham is not alone. Several high-profile stars—including LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Stephen Curry—have already been ruled ineligible for postseason awards due to the same requirement. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama are approaching the cutoff, placing their eligibility in jeopardy as well.

     

    Cleveland Cavaliers standout Donovan Mitchell acknowledged the intent behind the rule but admitted its unintended consequences:

     

    “It’s for the right reasons, but it’s tough. We get paid money to be out there, but there’s certain things you can’t control. It’s not like guys are resting and missing these games. These are legitimate injuries, so it’s something to look at for sure because there’s no way certain guys should be in this scenario,” Cleveland superstar Donovan Mitchell added.

     

    While the 65-game rule was implemented to preserve the integrity of the regular season, its application has sparked growing concern across the league. As injuries continue to impact even the game’s brightest stars, pressure is mounting on the NBA to introduce flexibility—balancing accountability with fairness—so that exceptional performance is not overshadowed by circumstances beyond a player’s control.

     

     

    👉 Don’t miss out on the latest sports news, updates, and fan discussions!

    📌 Follow our Facebook page Sports News PH today and join the community of passionate sports fans.