NBA to implement flopping penalty, second coach’s challenge

The flops must stop.

The NBA Board of Governors voted to implement two new rule changes for the 2023-24 season, according to The Athletic.

The first gameplay change is designed to penalize players for flopping, a tactic that has become increasingly popular across the league, as players attempt to sell contact in hopes of drawing whistles from officials.

The rule change will seemingly give referees the freedom to determine what is an actual foul and what is a flop. If a player is penalized for flopping, the opposing team will receive one technical free throw.

The second gameplay change will center around coaching challenges. Last season and in seasons past, coaches were permitted one challenge per game, and if they won that challenge, the on-court call was reversed and their team was not charged with a timeout due to the stoppage of play to review the call. If the coaching challenge was deemed unsuccessful, the call on the court stood and the challenging coach’s team was charged with a timeout.

Under the new guidelines — assuming the framework of challenges remains the same aside from the new wrinkle — if a coach loses a challenge, their team will still be charged with a timeout and the call will stand. However, if a coach wins a challenge, their team will not be charged with a timeout, the call on the floor will be reversed, and that coach will earn a second challenge after the successful first challenge.