NBA updates proposed in-game penalty for flopping

The NBA is testing out a new in-game penalty designed to prevent flopping during this year’s summer league. After originally tweeting out the rules Tuesday, the league offered an update Wednesday.

In the original rules, any player caught flopping would result in a free throw and possession for the opposing team. The new rules have been amended so that the opposing team is now only awarded the free throw while possession will be decided based on the league’s “resumption of play rules.”

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

Any player determined to have flopped “will be assessed a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul.” However, this does not count as a personal foul and the player will not be ejected. Additionally, officials don’t have to stop play to call a flop. They can instead wait until the next natural stoppage in play to do so.

Although this rule will be in place for the summer league, it is yet to be determined whether it will carry over into the regular season. The NBA board of governors is set to meet later this month to discuss the flopping rule, among other potential changes to be implemented in 2023-24.

This isn’t the first effort the NBA has made to prevent flopping. In 2012, the league introduced an anti-flopping that resulted in a warning and then an increasing amount of fines for every subsequent violation. However, there was no way to call players out in-game.

The NBA defined a flop 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.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in the summer league and whether it sticks. Summer league action is currently taking place in Sacramento and Salt Lake City before another league tips off in Las Vegas on July 7.

NBA insider Shams Charania reveals alarming screen time report during free agency

There ain’t no rest for the wicked … or for NBA insiders during the free agency period. The Athletic‘s Shams Charania — one of the top reporters in basketball — revealed just how absurd life becomes for those in the business during this time of the year.

Charania shared his weekly screen time update in a post on Instagram. And it’s pretty strong evidence that the business of NBA reporting can be a 24-7 job.

The average of Charania’s screen time? A shocking 19 hours and 1 minute. Essentially, he’s not getting any sleep during this hectic period of NBA free agency.

Shams screentime during NBA free agency is even more absurd than you would imagine 🐐 pic.twitter.com/MSMUtm6d8r

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) July 3, 2023

We’d imagine Charania is ready for a nap — or a vacation — when the NBA’s free agency period finally comes to an end.

On3’s Dustin Schutte contributed to this report.