The NBA’s 65-Game Rule Is Doing Its Job — Stop Trying to Save Stars

Nikola Jokic goes down with a knee injury — and suddenly the volume spikes to kill the NBA’s 65-game minimum for MVP and All-NBA eligibility. Coincidence? Or the latest example of the league (and its loudest voices) trying to rewrite the definition of greatness in real time?

In the first On The Ball episode of 2026, Ric Bucher explains why the 65-game rule shouldn’t be rescinded just because a superstar might miss out. Awards aren’t about who we think should win based on peak moments, reputation, or “what he’d do if healthy.” They’re about who actually delivered over a full season — and availability has always been part of the job.

Ric revisits why the rule was created (hello, load management), why voters needed a clear benchmark, and why removing it would encourage exactly what fans hate: rewarding partial seasons while pretending it’s the same as dominance over 82 games. He also calls out the shifting standards in NBA media, the growing subjectivity of awards voting, and the obsession with making everything “perfect” — even when perfection creates new injustices.

Plus: Ric makes the case that we should be expanding eligibility rules, creating one to deem who is eligible to be an All-Star.

Timestamps

00:00 — Intro: “Cooking with gas” / welcome to On The Ball

00:31 — Ric’s platforms + book tease: the value of being coachable

01:32 — First pod of 2026: thank you + what’s changing the show today

02:03 — The new flashpoint: NBA’s 65-game rule + Jokic injury fallout

02:55 — Jokic vs SGA: how the MVP race shifts

03:16 — Why Ric disagrees with eliminating the rule

04:12 — Why the NBA instituted 65 games: load management + voter clarity

05:07 — The voting problem: who has ballots now (and why it matters)

06:35 — Why 65 games is “etched in stone”

07:23 — The old standard: playing 82 used to be the flex

08:03 — “Perfect” officiating vs reality: the replay obsession analogy

09:20 — The hard truth: injustice happens — that’s sports (and life)

10:08 — Injuries, modern training, and why the real issue isn’t awards

11:07 — Why changing awards rules dodges the real problem

12:32 — Supermax + health: should durability matter?

14:02 — Awards aren’t for “who we think”: they’re for who proved it

14:40 — The Bill Walton precedent: MVP with 58 games (and the controversy)

16:45 — The fear: rewarding stars for half-seasons

17:26 — Standards eroding: media, mentorship, and the “old head” dilemma

20:28 — Social media pedestal culture + rule changes for entertainment

21:25 — Why removing 65 games diminishes awards

22:12 — Ric’s counter: eligibility rules for All-Star voting instead

22:52 — LeBron + All-Star weekend: honor him, don’t gift him a spot

25:05 — Emotional policy-making is bad policy

25:47 — What’s next: boosting competition, addressing tanking

26:54 — Outro

#NBA #NikolaJokic #MVP #AllNBA #LoadManagement #NBAMedia #OnTheBall #RicBucher #BasketballPodcast #UnitedWeCast

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