NBA approves in-game flopping penalty for 2023-24 season

NEW YORK – The NBA’s Board of Governors today approved an in-game flopping penalty and expanded use of the Coaches Challenge. Both rule changes will be implemented starting with the 2023-24 NBA season.

In-game flopping penalty

Under the new rule, when an umpire calls a flop or a physical action intended to reasonably appear that the umpires are calling a foul to another player, the offending player is charged with an unsportsmanlike technical foul and the opposing team. he is awarded one free throw attempt to be attempted by any player in the game when a technical foul is assessed. A player will not be removed from the game for flopping violations.

Referees do not need to stop live play to call a flopping violation. When necessary (for example, to avoid stopping live play when the attacking team has an immediate scoring opportunity), the referees wait until the next neutral opportunity to stop live play to award a flopping penalty. After a penalty free throw, the league’s play-on principles are followed, meaning that the team with actual or immediate possession when play was stopped receives the ball when play resumes.

It is possible for judges to call both a foul and a flop in the same game.

A flopping violation is not directly reviewable in Coachs Challenge. However, umpires may call through a flop replay review for a called foul that triggered the Coaches Challenge, or through a umpire’s initiative review for certain types of called fouls (such as a potential flagrant foul, block pay call, end-of-period foul, or free lane foul).

The ability of the league offices to evaluate flops after the game is preserved. New for the 2023-24 season, the post-game monetary penalty system for flops has been changed to mimic the system for technical fouls. Fines start at $2,000 and increase progressively for repeat offenders.

A flopping violation called by the referees in real time does not result in a penalty or count towards the post-game financial penalty system. When the refs call the flop, the only penalty is an in-game competition penalty, awarding the opposing team one free throw attempt.

The new in-game flopping penalty is valid for a one-year trial period.

Expanded use of trainers

The Coachs Challenge has been expanded to give teams a second challenge if their first challenge is successful.

A team must still use a timeout to trigger a challenge, meaning that a team cannot use their first or second challenge unless they still have a timeout available. In addition, the team still retains the timeout used to start their first challenge if the challenge succeeds and does not trigger a mandatory timeout. Due to the length of the game and the cost of the game, the team does not keep the timeout used to start their second challenge, even if the challenge was successful.

The NBA Competition Committee, made up of players, representatives of the National Basketball Players Association, coaches, governors, team basketball directors and referees, unanimously recommended both the in-game flopping penalty and the expanded use of the Coaches Challenge to the board.