If watching basketball players flop all over the court drives you crazy, then the NBA has some good news for you.
During this year's Summer League games, the NBA will incorporate an in-game flopping penalty and attempt to limit instances of embellishment.
It's unclear if the league will approve the rule change for the 2023-24 campaign, but The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the NBA's board of governors will vote later this month on potentially adding the penalty to regular season games.
How will this new rule work? Here are the latest details on the NBA's efforts to eliminate flopping.
MORE: Results, stats for Salt Lake City Summer League
NBA flopping rule, explained: Details on anti-flopping penalty at Summer League games
On July 4, the NBA announced that a flopping penalty would be in effect on a provisional basis for all Summer League games. The league then shared an updated explanation of the rule on July 5.
- If an official determines that a player has flopped, the opposing team will be awarded one free throw.
- The player who has flopped will be assessed a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul. It will not count as a personal foul or lead to an ejection.
- An official does not have to stop a live play in order to call a flopping violation. The official can wait until the next neutral opportunity to make the call.
What were the NBA's previous flopping rules?
This isn't the first time that the NBA has targeted floppers. Back in 2012, the league introduced anti-flopping fines that penalized repeat offenders.
Here is how the NBA previously handled flopping:
- Violation 1: Warning
- Violation 2: $5,000 fine
- Violation 3: $10,000 fine
- Violation 4: $15,000 fine
- Violation 5: $30,000 fine
- Violation 6 and above: Increased fine and/or suspension
At that time, officials were not able to make rulings on flopping during games. The league determined whether a player had flopped following a video review of the play.
What is flopping in the NBA?
As part of its 2012 announcement, the NBA shared this definition of flopping:
A "flop" is 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.
The main factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would have been expected given the force or direction of the contact.
For example, a player will be considered to have committed a "flop" if he falls to the floor following minimal contact or lunges in a direction different from the direction of the contact.
