NBA announces two rule changes for 2023-24 season

Stock Photo – upload.wikimedia.org

The NBA Board of Governors announced two rule changes for the 2023–24 season on Tuesday.

The first rule change involves flopping, which will now be assessed as a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul, resulting in a free throw for the opposing team.

Players who flop will not be ejected, and referees are not required to stop the game for a flopping violation. They can wait until a natural stoppage in play to assess the penalty if necessary.

After the free throw, the team that has possession of the ball before the flopping violation will earn possession again. The officials can call both a foul and a flopping violation on the same play.

The NBA introduced an anti-flopping policy in the 2012–13 season. Under this policy, players receive a warning for their first violation. Then, they are fined $5,000 for the second violation, $10,000 for the third, $15,000 for the fourth and $30,000 for the fifth violation.

The new flopping rule will still include a monetary punishment system, but fines will now start at $2,000 and increase for repeat offenders.

Then, the second rule change grants coaches a second challenge if their first one succeeds.

The coaches’ challenge is similar to the NFL rule, where teams get a third challenge if their first two are successful. However, NBA teams will start with only one challenge, allowing them to gain a second one but no more. If coaches use their second challenge that results in an unsuccessful outcome, they will lose their timeout.

While coaches cannot directly challenge a flopping violation, officials can call one upon review or challenge another play.

These rule changes have been long-requested by fans and critics alike. The NBA had already tested the new flopping rule in the Summer League to see whether it works in a live game before announcing the changes.