Basketball has a flopping problem
The NBA’s best players are resorting to acting instead of simply playing the game.
Drawing fouls is a big part of basketball. It is an art form in itself. But players are beginning to take it too far, embellishing and dramatically flopping on the court in hopes of a whistle.
The worst part is, they are getting away with it. The referees do not care, and they are willing to blow the whistle at any sign that a star player is struggling to create space or score.
Seeing it in the National Basketball Association (NBA), kids are starting to emulate it in their games as well. Their favourite players are throwing themselves on the ground, so why wouldn’t they?
The NBA attempted to stop it in the early 2020s by banning “non-basketball moves,” like jumping sideways or backwards into defenders to create contact.
This has done nothing. Players keep making these moves and get rewarded for them. So can you really blame them?
The league tried to stop it again in the 2023-2024 season by adding a flopping warning/technical after first and second infractions, but they still miss most of the real flopping, especially in big-game moments.
The problem with the flopping call is that the referees are calling it on moments where the flop does not affect the play, for example, off the ball, or on a full-court press; the moments when it needs to be called are during live play, or when a player is attempting to draw free throws. If the league continues not to call it, players will keep drawing fouls in this manner. The league is responsible for this wave of unethical basketball.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver must take control of the embellishment and foul baiting. The only way to do that is to put more emphasis on the offensive side of the flopping technical foul. Players are looking to draw fouls on the offensive side of the court, and referees are not looking out for it.
The NBA can also take ideas from other leagues. The National Football League implements fines for plays reviewed after the game; in the National Hockey League, the first infraction results in a warning, and after repeat embellishment offences, the fines continue to increase.
Both leagues also have review and appeal systems for the fines, making it fair for players. If they can prove it was not a flop or a form of embellishment, they can get their fine revoked.
If the NBA implemented these after-game reviews for embellishment and penalties, it would begin to force players to return to ethical practices on the court. It does not mean players need to stop trying to draw fouls, but they would stop throwing themselves at a player in hopes of a referee calling them.
The era of players throwing their bodies into opponents for foul calls needs to end, and only the people at the top of the NBA have the power to do it.
