News - Are Victor Wembanyama & Giannis Antetokounmpo Out of the 2025–26 NBA MVP Race? Injury Update & Key Eligibility Rules Explained

To be eligible for important end-of-season awards, a key factor for a player hoping to build his legacy, Wembanyama must play in at least 65 regular-season games in total, which means he would need to participate in at least 53 of the remaining 60 games. Wembanyama's title chances are further threatened because he will not play in Monday's game against the Pelicans. Additionally, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, it remains uncertain whether Wembanyama will be able to play in the team's NBA Cup game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Latest injury update on Giannis Antetokounmpo Giannis Antetokounmpo will be out for a considerable period with the Milwaukee Bucks. Bucks coach Doc Rivers confirmed that the former MVP is expected to miss at least one month after injuring himself in the Pistons game within just three minutes. He has a right calf strain, which will require him to sit out multiple games. Antetokounmpo strained his right calf during the Bucks' win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, and he was originally expected to be sidelined for two to four weeks. Now his return date will depend on his response to treatment. The team is prepared to face Detroit without its star player. NBA MVP eligibility rule explained — Why the 65-Game threshold matters The NBA implemented the 65-Game Rule starting in the 2023-24 season as part of a broader push (which also includes the In-Season Tournament) to raise the importance of the 82-game regular season and encourage teams to play their top players more often. Historically, star players have missed an increasing number of regular-season games: 1980s & 1990s: average of about 10.5 games missed per season. 2000s: increased to 13.9 games missed per season. 2010s: increased to 17.5 games missed per season. Current decade (2020s): increased to 23.9 games missed per season (before the rule's implementation). What the rule requires To be eligible for major end-of-season awards, specifically MVP, All-NBA Team (First, Second, or Third), Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), and All-Defensive Team (First or Second), a player must meet a strict minimum games played requirement. A player must generally play in at least 65 regular-season games. The rule directly affects the financial futures of elite players. Many high-value contracts (like Supermax extensions) and player incentives are tied to earning an All-NBA selection. If a star player fails to reach the 65-game minimum, they could lose out on millions of dollars by being ineligible for those top contract tiers or bonuses. How many games have Wembanyama & Giannis played so far? Are Wembanyama & Giannis still in the NBA MVP race? Yes, Wembanyama and Giannis are still in the NBA MVP race. Giannis is still a top contender for the MVP award, but he is running into a new rule problem. The NBA now requires players to play in at least 65 games to qualify for major awards like MVP. This means Giannis can miss up to 17 games all season (82 total games minus 65). He has already missed 8.