NBA Announces Financial Penalties for Flopping

As expected, it will start NBA hurting players’ pockets when they flop during games. The League unveiled the punishment that it will hand to offenders: “The NBA will adopt an anti-flopping rule beginning with the 2012-13 season, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson announced Wednesday. […] ‘Flopping’ will be defined 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. Any player who is determined to have committed a flop during the regular season will be subject to the following: 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.”