The NBA has had enough of stars sitting out high-profile games.
In an effort to curb load management, a new Player Participation Policy was voted on and approved by the league's Board of Governors ahead of the 2023-24 season. Not only is the NBA determined to have its stars more available for nationally televised games, but the league wants them available for the In-Season Tournament, which will make its debut this season.
"This is ultimately about the fans," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "And that we’ve taken this [load management] too far. This is an acknowledgment that it has gotten away from us a bit."
The focus of the updated Player Participation Policy is on stars, which raised an interesting question at the time of which players the league views as "stars."
Here's everything you need to know about the NBA's new resting policy and the players impacted by it.
What is the NBA's new resting policy?
Before the 2023-24 season, the NBA Board of Governors approved a more stringent player resting policy that went into effect immediately.
As detailed by the NBA, the new details are as follows:
- Manage its roster to ensure that no more than one star player is unavailable for the same game.
- Ensure that star players are available for all national television and NBA In-Season Tournament games.
- Maintain a balance between the number of one-game absences for a star player in home and road games.
- Refrain from any long-term “shutdowns” in which a star player stops playing games.
- If resting a healthy player, ensure that the player is present at the games and visible to fans.
Teams that violate those rules are subject to a fine — $100,000 for the first violation, $250,000 for the second violation, $1.25 million for a third violation and $1 million more than the previous penalty for violations beyond the third, per ESPN's Bobby Marks.
As for the "star" designation, the NBA views a star as someone who has been an All-Star or made an All-NBA team in any of the prior three seasons. That impacts a total of 49 players.
Full list of NBA stars impacted by new resting policy
Here's the full list of NBA players who have made an All-Star or All-NBA team in the previous three seasons:
Player | Team |
Dejounte Murray | Hawks |
Trae Young | Hawks |
Jaylen Brown | Celtics |
Jayson Tatum | Celtics |
Ben Simmons | Nets |
LaMelo Ball | Hornets |
DeMar DeRozan | Bulls |
Zach LaVine | Bulls |
Nikola Vucevic | Bulls |
Jarrett Allen | Cavaliers |
Darius Garland | Cavaliers |
Donovan Mitchell | Cavaliers |
Luka Doncic | Mavericks |
Kyrie Irving | Mavericks |
Nikola Jokic | Nuggets |
Stephen Curry | Warriors |
Draymond Green | Warriors |
Chris Paul | Warriors |
Andrew Wiggins | Warriors |
Fred VanVleet | Rockets |
Tyrese Haliburton | Pacers |
Paul George | Clippers |
Kawhi Leonard | Clippers |
Anthony Davis | Lakers |
LeBron James | Lakers |
Jaren Jackson Jr. | Grizzlies |
Ja Morant | Grizzlies |
Bam Adebayo | Heat |
Jimmy Butler | Heat |
Giannis Antetokounmpo | Bucks |
Jrue Holiday | Bucks |
Khris Middleton | Bucks |
Mike Conley | Timberwolves |
Anthony Edwards | Timberwolves |
Rudy Gobert | Timberwolves |
Karl-Anthony Towns | Timberwolves |
Zion Williamson | Pelicans |
Julius Randle | Knicks |
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Thunder |
Joel Embiid | 76ers |
James Harden | 76ers |
Bradley Beal | Suns |
Devin Booker | Suns |
Kevin Durant | Suns |
Damian Lillard | Trail Blazers |
De'Aaron Fox | Kings |
Domantas Sabonis | Kings |
Pascal Siakam | Raptors |
Lauri Markkanen | Jazz |
Full list of NBA players who qualify for exceptions
The same rules don't apply to everyone, though.
For players who are 35 years old on opening night, have logged 34,000 regular-season minutes or appeared in a combined 1,000 regular season and playoff games, the NBA will allow "pre-approved designated back-to-back allowance."
Here's the full list of players who fall into those categories:
Player | Team |
DeMar DeRozan | Bulls |
Stephen Curry | Warriors |
Chris Paul | Warriors |
LeBron James | Lakers |
Mike Conley | Timberwolves |
James Harden | 76ers |
Kevin Durant | Suns |
There are other exemptions that will be granted by the NBA, including personal reasons and injuries.