SouthernWorldwide.com – The National Basketball Association (NBA) is set to introduce a significant rule change for its upcoming Summer League, aiming to accelerate the pace of the game.
The league announced on Thursday that the “one free throw rule” will be implemented across all Summer League events held this month in Salt Lake City, Northern California, and Las Vegas.
This experimental rule has already been in practice in the NBA’s developmental league, the G League, since the 2019-20 season, with the primary objective of speeding up gameplay.
Under the new rule, any foul that would normally result in the awarding of one, two, or three free throws will now be met with a single free-throw attempt. Crucially, this single attempt will carry the full point value of the free throws it replaces.
However, the application of this rule is not universal throughout the entire game. Standard free-throw regulations, which dictate multiple shots for certain fouls, will remain in effect for the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and throughout all overtime periods.
While it remains uncertain if this “one free throw” policy will transition into regular NBA games, the Summer League has historically served as a testing ground for potential rule innovations. This mirrors the approach seen in other professional sports, such as Major League Baseball, and independent leagues.
Several rule changes that were initially trialed at these lower levels have eventually made their way to the NBA. Notable examples include the introduction of the coach’s challenge, the reset of the 24-second shot clock to 14 seconds following an offensive rebound, and the awarding of a single free throw for a transition take foul.
A transition take foul occurs when a defender deliberately commits a foul to prevent an opponent from capitalizing on a fast-break opportunity.
Furthermore, the G League also utilizes 10-minute quarters, a format that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has openly expressed support for. In the past, the league has experimented with longer quarters, including a test of 11-minute quarters in a preseason game and the use of 10-minute quarters in exhibition games prior to the 2020 bubble season.
The NBA Summer League is scheduled to commence on July 9.
