NBA rules on resting players
The NBA plans to implement rules to punish teams for resting players. The goal is to ensure NBA players are active for nationally televised games and in-season tournament games. The NBA also wants to prevent teams from resting multiple stars on their teams in the same game.
More details on the rules, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
- Teams must manage their roster to ensure that no more than one star player is unavailable for the same game.
- Teams must ensure that star players are available for national television and in-season tournament games.
- Teams must maintain a balance between the number of one-game absences for a star player in home games and road games – with a preference for those absences to happen in home games.
- Teams must refrain from any long-term shutdown – or near shutdown – when a star player stops participating in games or plays in a materially reduced role in circumstances affecting the integrity of the game.
- Teams must ensure that healthy players resting for a game are present and visible to fans.
The NBA has billions of dollars in television deals and is rolling out the new in-season tournament. All of this demands the presence of the NBA’s biggest stars on the court.
Remember that young fan, who was devastated when her favorite player Stephen Curry didn’t play in the game she attended? Steph made her day when he gave her free courtside Golden State Warriors tickets.
The NBA is a star’s league. As long as the player salaries match the demand, the rule isn’t too bad.
