Charles Barkley gives terse message to NBA players complaining about 65-game eligibility rule

The NBA requires players to play at least 65 games in order to be considered for the league's highest accolades. The rule became a source of consternation this year in a hotly contested MVP race as some players, who have been playing at a high level, have missed out on consideration.

But Barkley had no time for players' complaints.

"I don't think 65 games is a lot to ask," he said. "Man, shut the hell up. Y'all voted on that in the collective bargaining, now y'all want to complain. If y'all wasn't sitting on your a-- half the time, sipping margaritas and stuff, they wouldn't have put the 65-game threshold in there. Shut the hell up."

Wembanyama played 64 regular-season games with the NBA Cup Final counting toward his total. Jokic hit the 65-game minimum after playing 18 minutes against the Spurs on Sunday. Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also in contention, having played 68 games.

"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," the union said. "Since its implementation, far too many deserving players have been unfairly disqualified from end-of-season honors by this arbitrary and overly rigid quota."

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stood firmly behind the rule.

"I'm not ready to say it's not working," Silver said in March. "It is working. I'm not ready to say that because there is a sense of unfairness for one player, the rule doesn't work."