NBA to test flopping penalty, extra coaches challenge during summer league
Jul 5, 2023, 9:41 AM
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 31: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics losses the ball as Kelly Olynyk #41 of the Utah Jazz falls backwards to the floor during the second half at TD Garden on March 31, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
(Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
The NBA is set to test multiple game-changing proposals during its Summer League tournament, including one that targets flopping.
According to an announcement by the league, players could be penalized if an official believes they flopped.
“If a flopping penalty is assessed by game officials, the opposing team will be awarded one free throw,” the league’s proposal states. “A player who commits a flop will be assessed a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul, which does not count as a personal foul or lead to ejection.”
NBA officials would not have to stop play to assess a flopping penalty.
The NBA defined flopping in 2012 as, “an attempt to either fool referees into calling undeserved fouls or fool fans into thinking the referees missed a foul call by exaggerating the effect of contact with an opposing player.”
An updated version of the proposed In-Game Flopping Penalty is below.
Please note: Rather than the opposing team always getting possession after a flop, the league’s resumption of play rules will apply. https://t.co/8GUf4X54mz pic.twitter.com/9j8ufm3qWN
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 5, 2023
The second proposed rule change would award a team a second coach’s challenge if the first challenge is successful. As it stands now, coaches only get one challenge per game and if it is unsuccessful, the team loses its timeout.
“For game flow reasons, a team would not retain the timeout used to initiate its second Challenge regardless of whether it is successful,” the league’s proposal states.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that the league’s Board of Governors is expected to vote on the two proposed rule changes on Tuesday, July 11. If approved, the changes would begin with the 2023-24 season.
Thank you for reading SactownSports.com. Follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
