The NBA competition committee is discussing a potential in-game penalty for flops that would result in a technical foul free throw, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday.
The NBA could test the rule in the Summer League in July, Charania added.
Flopping has long been lamented in the NBA. While some call it gamesmanship, many ex-players, coaches and staff have been critical of teams and specific players selling calls and earning trips to the free throw line.
During the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory in the Western Conference second round series against the Golden State Warriors in this year’s playoffs, L.A. had gained a significant advantage due to the free throw disparity between the two sides.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke about flopping extensively, and had requested the NBA to incorporate a rule similar to that of FIBA.
“I think, to me, what I’ve learned coaching in FIBA. … There’s a flop rule,” Kerr told reporters. “If a referee deems a player has flopped, they just call it a technical foul, and it’s pretty penalizing. And so the flopping has basically been eliminated from FIBA, and we have the ability to do the same thing in the NBA if we want.
“I think we should address it, because the players are so smart, and the entire regular season is about gamesmanship and trying to fool the refs. And this is how it’s been for a while, and it’s up to us as a league. Do we want to fix this? … These are all things that are my personal plea to the NBA. I think we can do better in terms of cleaning up the flopping.”
