Reflecting on the Dallas Mavericks’ tumultuous end to the 2022-23 season, the team faced significant scrutiny for the decision to rest both Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić instead of vying for a spot in the Play-in Tournament. This controversial move resulted in a hefty $750,000 fine for the Mavericks, marking a critical moment for the NBA as it confronts the ongoing issue of celebrity player rest and its impact on the league’s integrity and viewership.
Next week, the NBA’s Board of Governors is set to vote on new regulations aimed at significantly curbing the trend of resting star players during nationally televised games. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, these proposed measures would involve increasing fines for teams that choose to rest star players, particularly during high-profile broadcasts, as well as penalizing teams for resting more than one player simultaneously.
Should these regulations be approved, the initial penalty for a team would start at $100,000. A second infraction would escalate the fine to $250,000, with each subsequent violation increasing by $1 million. As reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, a “star player” under these new definitions will include anyone who has been named to an All-Star or All-NBA team in the past three seasons.
The NBA has already demonstrated its authority to penalize teams for resting players, as seen in the severe fine imposed on the Mavericks. I support the idea of penalizing franchises for resting players during nationally broadcast games, as these games represent the NBA’s premium offering, regardless of whether they occur in May or November. It is crucial for the league to maintain its appeal and competitive spirit during these peak viewing times.
With national television contracts set to expire in 2025, the NBA is signaling to its broadcasting partners that their concerns have been acknowledged and that tangible solutions are being explored. However, the challenge remains that both the networks and the NBA realize that there isn’t a foolproof method to prevent coaches and team management from deciding to rest players.
For example, if the Los Angeles Clippers decide to rest Kawhi Leonard for a TNT game in December but label it as “injury maintenance” instead of “rest,” how can the NBA effectively prove that the team violated any rules? Even if he had played in the last three games, his knee may still be sore that night, and the team could choose to keep him out until the next game on Friday.
Resting a player can often be categorized as “injury maintenance.” The primary goal is to prevent minor aches and muscle strains that can arise from the demanding NBA schedule from escalating into more severe injuries. In professional sports, injuries are an inevitable part of the game, and sometimes these issues linger longer than expected.
A player might be cleared to return after the team’s second “we’ll reevaluate in two weeks” timeline, but their hamstring may still not be fully healed. Continued treatment may be necessary to ensure that the player doesn’t face another prolonged absence. Part of this treatment may involve trainers advising the coaching staff to avoid using the player on consecutive nights. Who is the NBA Board of Governors to dictate to a medically qualified training staff that the team will face penalties if they deem a particular date, say ABC Saturday in March, is the best time for a player to take a recovery day?
The NBA schedule is notoriously grueling. While one might argue that travel has improved over the years, along with advancements in medical care and training equipment, holding players accountable for their decisions to rest during an 82-game season is a complex issue.
Players are entering the NBA at the age of 19, often with more mileage on their legs than Patrick Ewing had when he graduated from Georgetown in 1985. They are required to cover more ground on the court than ever before, which necessitates rapid changes in direction and agility.
With the league now featuring 30 teams compared to 23 when Magic Johnson first entered the NBA, travel logistics can be a nightmare. The distance players traverse on chartered flights typically exceeds that of athletes in any other sport. This results in many early morning arrivals in cities like Denver, followed by lengthy bus rides to hotels.
The reward for enduring an exhausting 82-game schedule is the opportunity for an additional two months of high-stakes playoff basketball in pursuit of an NBA Championship. While player rest may be frustrating for fans, it is also an unavoidable reality of the sport.
The demands of the job are relentless, making it sometimes necessary for players who aren’t technically “injured” to take a night off to prevent a string of games being missed. This approach can be crucial in ensuring players remain on the court rather than sidelined for extended periods.
While ideally teams would refrain from resting their players during nationally televised games, if medical professionals determine that a player requires rest, there is no regulation the NBA Board of Governors can implement to force that player to play.
