NBA to test in-game flopping penalty at summer league

The NBA will be testing out a proposed in-game penalty for flopping during summer league, according to an announcement by the league Tuesday.

A flop, which will be determined by referees at the game, will be penalized by awarding the opposing team one free throw and possession of the ball. The player who commits the flop will be assessed a unsportsmanlike technical foul, which won’t count toward personal fouls or lead to an ejection.

Officials won’t be required to stop live play to call a flopping violation.

The league in 2012 implemented an anti-flopping rule that resulted in a warning and then an increasing amount of fines for every subsequent violation. However there was no in-game penalty and the rule has rarely been enforced since its implementation a decade ago.

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.”

The NBA’s board of governors will meet later this month to vote on any rule changes for the upcoming 2023-24 season.