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NBA expands replay rule ahead of 2024-25 season

NBA Replay
Coaches challenges were implemented into the NBA at the start of the 2019-20 season. (Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

NBA expands replay rule ahead of 2024-25 season

The NBA announced Tuesday that the league will be expanding its replay system ahead of the 2024-25 season.

According to the press release, referees will now have the ability to retroactively call fouls on coach’s challenges for out-of-bounds violations. The factors for determining whether or not an uncalled foul occurred reads as follows:

  • “Whether the players involved in the uncalled foul are the same or different players than the ones involved in the out-of-bounds violation under review.
  • The distance between the uncalled foul and the out-of-bounds violation under review.
  • The time elapsed between the uncalled foul and the out-of-bounds violation under review.”

The league office provided an example of how the new rule will be enforced using this play.

In this play, the refs initially ruled that Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving batted the ball out of Minnesota Timberwolves wing Jaden McDaniels’ hands during a fourth-quarter play in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Upon a challenge by Dallas’ Jason Kidd, Dallas was rewarded possession because Irving did not deflect it.

Though within these new rules, the challenge would be ruled unsuccessful and Irving would be given a foul.

As a result, this will incentivize some teams to challenge the foul instead of the actual play at hand. Conversely, it could also make a team–like Dallas, in this case–more hesitant to challenge a certain call because they would be short a timeout as a result of a foul being called on its own player.

What if this was Irving’s sixth foul? If this play occurred in the first half, what if Irving’s second, third or fourth foul to potentially alter his flow? That could be a big momentum change.

The rule is expected to be implemented immediately at the start of the 2024-25 season. Preseason begins Oct. 4 while the regular season tips off Oct. 22.

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