Report: NBA could implement new in-game penalty for flopping

Jun 2, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver talks to media before game one of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA has tried to crack down on flopping over the past decade, and that effort could be ramped up even more next season.

The NBA is discussing the possibility of implementing a flop penalty that would award the opposing team a technical free throw, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. There is a chance the league could test out the new policy during the Summer League in July.

Sources: The NBA’s Competition Committee is discussing potential of in-game penalty for flops that would result in technical foul free throw. Trial is possible at Summer League in July.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 25, 2023

Beginning in the 2012-13 season, the NBA implemented a policy where a player who is determined to have flopped is assessed a technical foul if caught during the game or fined if the violation is discovered later. The new rule would make it so the opposing team gets a free throw, which would penalize a team — not just an individual — for a flop.

The timing probably is not a coincidence. The Golden State Warriors complained publicly about what they perceived as flopping antics from the Los Angeles Lakers during the Western Conference semifinals. LeBron James was also called out for what looked like a bad flop against the Denver Nuggets, though he drew a foul on the play (video here).

The NCAA made flopping a Class B technical foul last season, which awards the opposing team a free throw. It sounds like the NBA may do the same.