NBA cracks down on flopping

The NBA announced today that it will adopt an anti-flopping rule beginning with the 2012-13 season.

“Flopping” will be defined by the NBA as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player. The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact.

Physical acts that constitute legitimate basketball plays (such as moving to a spot in order to draw an offensive foul) and minor physical reactions to contact will not be treated as flops.

“Flops have no place in our game – they either fool referees into calling undeserved fouls or fool fans into thinking the referees missed a foul call," NBA executive Stu Jackson said. "Accordingly, both the Board of Governors and the Competition Committee felt strongly that any player who the league determines, following video review, to have committed a flop should – after a warning – be given an automatic penalty.”

Players who commit flops during the regular season will be subject to the following penalties:

Violation 1: Warning
Violation 2:     $5,000 fine
Violation 3: $10,000 fine
Violation 4: $15,000 fine
Violation 5:    $30,000 fine

If a player violates the anti-flopping rule six times or more, he will be subject to discipline that is reasonable under the circumstances, including an increased fine and/or suspension.

A separate set of penalties for flopping will apply during the playoffs. The NBA will be announcing those penalties at a later date.

By Staff of The Daily Sports Herald