NEW DELAY-OF-GAME INTERPRETATION FOR 2013-14: PLAYERS TOUCHING THE BALL AFTER A MADE BASKET

According to Rule 12 II a (2), a delay of game is called for “interfering with the ball after a successful field goal or free throw.” The penalty for a delay-of-game violation is a warning in the first instance and a technical foul for subsequent offenses.

While previous interpretations of “interfering” involved a player purposefully preventing a ball from being inbounded, the Competition Committee decided over the summer to more strictly interpret the rule to eliminate any advantage gained by delaying an inbound. Going forward, any contact with the ball that delays an opposing team from inbounding after a made basket will result in a delay-of-game violation. This means that when a player on the new defensive team clutches or hits the ball following a made basket or free throw, other than an incidental touch, his team will be assessed a delay-of-game warning on their first offense or a technical foul on their second. This includes, for example, a player on the new defensive team passing the ball to a referee.

Click here for an example of a play from 2012-13 that would be deemed a violation this season.