The NBA has voted to implement new rules to combat load management in the league.
The new rules will limit the amount of star players a team can rest in a single game. Commissioner Adam Silver has vowed to increase player participation in the league. And now, with these new rules set to begin this season, that may very well happen.
Load management has been a problem in major sports. Usually present in MLB and especially the NBA, it limits the amount of time players play so they can rest. However, this has come at the expense of many fans who say they are being robbed of seeing star talent, as they sit out on the bench.
In this new policy, teams will be unable to sit more than one star player in the same game. A star player is defined as one who was an All-Star or All-NBA player within the past three years. If a team is found in violation of this policy, they will be fined $100,000. A second offense will fine them $250,000, and a third will result in a $1 million fine. The fines will then double from that point forward.
“The main concern comes from what happens when a team determines that a star player is healthy enough to play in a back-to-back game but that player determines he is sore and needs rest,” ESPN’s Bobby Marks said. “Because the [policy] is not a collectively bargained rule, the team, not the player, will get fined if the rule is violated.”
Star players will also not be allowed to rest for nationally-televised games. Going into this season, 25 teams and 50 players total will be affected by this rule change. The 2023 season is set to begin on October 24.
