The NBA Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve stricter resting policy rules and penalties for star players who miss games, including those on national television and in-season tournaments, as well as multiple All-Stars who miss regular-season games together.
Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, stated that the Player Participation Policy is something that the NBA, and individual players and organizations want “to return to the principle that this is an 82-game league.”
Sources informed the NBA Online Betting PH that the rule would ultimately grant the league office more excellent supervision over discipline for missed games and the ability to fine teams more than $1 million per violation of resting rules.
Silver is determined to enhance player participation as the league negotiates a new media rights agreement. The league aims to strengthen the initial player resting policies implemented in 2017-18 and the new rules requiring players to play in 65 regular-season games to be eligible for postseason awards.
Silver stated following the St. Regis New York meeting, “I believe we will state this principle, observe how teams respond, and determine if further action is necessary.” “But, most importantly, there’s a sense from all the various constituent groups in the league that this is ultimately about the fans and that we’ve taken this too far.
This is an admission that things have grown out of hand, especially when you see young, healthy players resting. We’re attempting to move away from the notion that resting on certain days is more of a league-wide symbol than an absolute necessity.
The NBA defines a star player as a player selected to the All-Star or All-NBA teams in at least one of the previous three seasons.
Twenty-five teams and 50 players (approximately 11% of the division) are affected by the new regulations. In the previous three seasons, fifteen teams have had multiple All-NBA or All-Star Game selections. After the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, the list of affected players could alter.
According to sources, the NBA will implement a system of sanctions for teams that begins at $100,000 for first offenses, $250,000 for second offenses, and $1 million more than the previous penalty for each subsequent fine.
Silver stated that the league will continue to examine the data and science behind injuries and the required amount of recovery.
“We are addressing some of the most egregious cases,” Silver said. “Where multiple prominent players, for instance, are out on the same night. By doing so, we disappoint our consumers and business partners.
“We’re stating a principle regarding an 82-game league and urging everyone to collaborate. The greatest news to come out of this policy, whether from the Players Association, individual players, or our teams over the last two days, is that everyone acknowledges that this is a problem and a problem for the fans. Therefore, the policy was adopted unanimously.”
These aspects of the new policy are detailed in a league memo describing the changes. Investigations conducted by the league office, including independent medical evaluations, will serve as the foundation for enforcement.
- Each team is responsible for managing their squad to ensure that at most one of their superstar players will miss any game. For example, the Boston Celtics would not be permitted to bench both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for the same game unless both players were suffering from injuries.
- Teams are responsible for ensuring that their key players are available for in-season tournaments and games broadcast nationally.
- When a star player quits taking part in games or plays in a significantly reduced capacity due to circumstances that influence the integrity of the game, teams are not allowed to go on hiatus for an extended time or come dangerously close to doing so. In that hypothetical situation, the National Basketball Association would have opened an investigation against the Washington Wizards and the Portland Trail Blazers for benching their star players Bradley Beal (10 games) and Damian Lillard (11 games), respectively, at the close of the previous season.
- A team must balance the number of one-game absences for a star player in home games and away games, with the home games receiving priority.
- Teams are responsible to the spectators to ensure that healthy players resting up for a game are there and can be seen by them.
On the other hand, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has provided a list of many exemptions that a team can use to argue for a star player’s absence from back-to-back games.
According to reports, the National Basketball Association (NBA) will offer preapproved designated back-to-back allowances for players who are 35 years old on opening night, have a workload of 34,000 regular-season minutes, or have participated in 1,000 regular-season games plus playoffs combined.
Suppose a team believes that one of its star players cannot play in consecutive games. In that case, the team must furnish the NBA with written information at least one week in advance detailing why the player’s participation should be limited.
The league has also said that a club can seek approval for a star player to be unavailable for one end of a back-to-back based on the player’s prior or exceptional injury history. This is something that a team can do by submitting a request to the league.
Other exceptions include multigame absences for a legitimate ailment, personal reasons, exceptional and unique circumstances, roster management of unavailable star players, and end-of-season flexibility. All of these categories fall under the umbrella term “personal reasons.”
