The NBA governor has given the green light to new NBA strict rules and penalties in its ongoing efforts to combat load management.
The management of player rest during the grueling 82-game regular season has been a hotly debated topic in the NBA, with teams employing various strategies. The league has made some minor adjustments in recent years, such as limiting back-to-back games, but none of these measures have had a substantial impact on resolving the issue.
However, the NBA’s competition committee has put forth a set of new recommendations to address this problem more effectively. The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved a revised player participation policy that places stricter restrictions on resting star players during nationally televised games or in-season tournament matches.
New NBA Strict Rules and Penalties
Under these new rules, teams that choose to rest star players during such games will face significant financial penalties. The penalties include a $100,000 fine for the first violation, a $250,000 fine for the second violation, and a fine of $1 million more than the previous one for any subsequent violations.
The NBA defines star players as those who have been named to an All-NBA team or have been NBA All-Stars within the past three seasons.
In cases where one or more star players are rested during national TV or in-season tournament games, the NBA has the authority to initiate an investigation. However, teams can request permission to rest a star player aged 35 or older on the first night of the season if they notify the league at least seven days before a back-to-back game.
Additionally, if a star player has accumulated 34,000 minutes of playing time in regular-season games or has participated in a combined total of 1,000 regular-season and playoff games, their team can seek approval for their absence from nationally televised games or in-season tournament contests.
This means that prominent players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors could potentially miss games under these conditions.
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