Stan Van Gundy Claims Luka Doncic’s Request for 65-Game Appeal Over Child Birth is Unfair

Stan Van Gundy doesn’t want the NBA to give Luka Doncic a pass for missing two games due to childbirth.

Stan Van Gundy Claims Luka Doncic’s Request for 65-Game Appeal Over Child Birth is Unfair

Stan Van Gundy on Luka Doncic (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Stan Van Gundy criticized Luka Doncic's appeal for an exemption from the 65-game rule due to personal reasons.
  • Doncic has played 64 games this season and missed time for the birth of his child, risking his eligibility for All-NBA honors.
  • Tracy McGrady supports Doncic's appeal, arguing that the circumstances of a child's birth should warrant an exemption from the rule.

The 65-game rule has caused a few issues for certain players, and one of them is Luka Doncic. Doncic has played 64 games so far this season. The Lakers still have two games to go, but their star guard has been ruled out for the regular season due to injury.

Former NBA coach and TV commentator, Stan van Gundy, said that Doncic does not deserve preferential treatment.

The whole thing with his wife having a baby, Come on! If that were the only games he missed, fine. Everybody has missed games for personal reasons! We either have a line, or we don’t. If we have a line, then let’s stick to it. He didn’t make it. Are there other games he maybe could’ve played or would’ve played if they were at the end of the year to qualify?

Stan Van Gundy on Zach Lowe Show

Ever since the NBA introduced the 65-game rule to be eligible for season-ending honors, the NBA community has been split. While many players were happy with it, several NBA personalities criticized the move as it could cost certain deserving players.

Cade Cunningham is another player who will not be able to touch the 65-game mark this season after making his return from a collapsed lung injury. Luka Doncic suffered a hamstring injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2. The injury has now sidelined him for four to six weeks; hence, he was at risk of missing the season-ending honors.

But it looks like Doncic filed for an exemption from the 65-game rule. The Lakers’ point guard missed two games as he traveled to his home country for the birth of his second child. If approved, Doncic will be eligible to earn All-NBA honors.

Does Luka Doncic deserve All-NBA honors?

While Stan Van Gundy did make a valid point, the majority of the NBA fans would likely disagree with it. During the course of the 2025-26 campaign, Doncic has arguably been a top-three player in the league.

Luka Doncic after pulling his hamstring
Luka Doncic after pulling his hamstring (Image credits – Basket USA/X)

He was performing at a high level for the majority of the season. However, in the month of March, Doncic was putting up historic numbers as the Los Angeles Lakers looked unstoppable for a few weeks. As he put up MVP numbers, Doncic climbed to second in the MVP Ladder. But despite his staggering performances, he dropped to fourth in the MVP Ladder at the end of March, much to the confusion of even his teammate, Austin Reaves.

With 64 games to his name, the Slovenian deserves the All-NBA honors. He even leads the league in scoring as he is averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists.

Tracy McGrady believes Luka Doncic should be granted an injury exemption

A player who leads the league in scoring and has been an MVP candidate for the majority of the season deserves All-NBA honors. Unlike Stan Van Gundy, former NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady believes Doncic is worthy of All-NBA honors and should be granted an injury exemption.

The Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge is a thing, right? Where they get an arbitrator, and they come in and see if this warrants a change. I think he’s eligible for that. He should be able to get those two games back. It’s the birth of his child. It’s not an injury. This is not load management. This is the birth of his child, where you’ve gotta fly to another country.

Tracy McGrady on NBC on Prime

Besides Doncic, other deserving players will be missing the 65-game rule as well, such as Cunningham and Anthony Edwards. Hence, they have been deemed ineligible to make the cut for an All-NBA team this year.

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