New Player Participation Policy Approved By NBA Board Of Governors
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter), the Board of Governors of NBA decided on Wednesday to accept new regulations to enhance the league’s stance on player rest and subject teams to fines for breaking those restrictions. According to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, the decision was unanimous.
When news first circulated that the NBA was about to introduce these new regulations, we briefly discussed them on Monday. However, ESPN’s Bobby Marks, who refers to the new regulations as the “player participation policy,” offers a far more thorough examination of how precisely that new policy will operate in a story worth reading.
An NBA team will incur a punishment if it rests a healthy “star” (defined as a player who has made an All-Star or All-NBA team within the previous three years) under any of the following circumstances:
- If a prominent player is rested for a nationally broadcast or tournament game during the season.
- The same game contains many stars if it rests.
- If the team chooses to rest a star on the road rather than at home (teams must balance the two, with home games being the preferred option).
- If it stops playing one of its healthy stars down the stretch (i.e. if a tanking team stops using one of its great players).
- If a star resting is not visible to the crowd and is not sitting on the bench.
According to Marks, a club will pay a $100K punishment for the first offence, a $250K fine for the second offence, and a $1.25MM fine for the third offence. The penalties would keep going up by $1MM for every additional crime.
Marks explains that the NBA will allow certain exceptions, especially during back-to-back games. A team may request permission from the league to rest a player for one of the two games in a back-to-back set if the player meets specific age/experience requirements (35 years old on opening night; 34,000+ career regular minutes; 1,000 career regular season and playoff games); or if the player has an injury history that will necessitate load management.
In this case, the NBA would still insist that the star player participate in the game broadcast nationally or part of an in-season tournament unless both back-to-back games are broadcast nationally.
Marks also states that personal absences and other unique situations will be accepted. Another exception to be aware of is end-of-season flexibility. For instance, a club that has locked up its playoff spot may be permitted to rest more than one star in the regular-season finale.
According to Marks, if it believes a club is holding a healthy star player out due to a questionable condition, the NBA can open an inquiry and undertake an independent medical assessment.
For instance, if the new rule had been in effect last season when the Wizards benched Bradley Beal for the last ten games of the previous campaign due to “knee soreness,” the league might have looked into it.
In other circumstances, such as when a top player consistently misses one game due to travel or when contradictory public comments are made regarding a star’s status, the league has the right to look into the matter.
According to Marks, the players who satisfy the 2023–24 season requirements are listed below. The list of players who qualify as “stars” will be continually updated as new All-Star and All–NBA teams are revealed:
Trae Young (Hawks), Dejounte Murray (Hawks), Ben Simmons (Nets), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), LaMelo Ball (Hornets), DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) *, Zach LaVine (Bulls), Nikola Vucevic (Bulls), Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers), Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers), Darius Garland (Cavaliers), Luka Doncic (Mavericks), Kyrie Irving (Mavericks), Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), Stephen Curry (Warriors) *, Draymond Green (Warriors), Andrew Wiggins (Warriors), Chris Paul (Warriors) *, Fred VanVleet (Rockets), Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers), Paul George (Clippers), LeBron James (Lakers) *, Anthony Davis (Lakers), Ja Morant (Grizzlies), Jaren, Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies), Jimmy Butler (Heat), Bam Adebayo (Heat), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks), Jrue Holiday (Bucks), Khris Middleton (Bucks), Rudy Gobert (Timberwolves), Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves), Mike Conley (Timberwolves) *, Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Zion Williamson (Pelicans), Julius Randle (Knicks), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Joel Embiid (Sixers), James Harden (Sixers) *, Bradley Beal (Suns), Devin Booker (Suns), Kevin Durant (Suns) *, Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), Domantas Sabonis (Kings), De’Aaron Fox (Kings), Pascal Siakam (Raptors), Lauri Markkanen (Jazz)
Keep in mind: Players denoted with an asterisk (*) may be qualified for pre-approved rest nights on back-to-backs if they are 35 years old or older on opening night, have amassed 34,000+ career regular minutes, or have appeared in 1,000 career regular season and playoff games.
