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NBA Tests One-Free-Throw Rule, Connected Ball in Summer League

7/3/2026

Summary

NBA Tests Rules

NBA will use the “one free throw rule” in its summer leagues, while free-throw rules stay for the final two minutes and overtime periods.
NBA will test a “connected basketball” with a sensor that detects contact without noticeably altering the ball’s weight, feel, or playability.
Summer League starts Friday with the California Classic in San Francisco and Sacramento, and runs July 9-19 in Las Vegas as AJ Dybantsa debuts on July 9.

Summary

NBA Debuts Rule

The one-free-throw rule debuted in NBA G League in 2019-20 to improve game flow.
Social-media users worry the rule could favor players with low free-throw percentages.
The NBA cited Major League Baseball’s ABS tracking system as a model for basketball sensor data.
Analysts said the rule may speed up possessions for slower shooters like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, prompting the Competition Committee to review innovations for adoption.

History

Historical Context

In 1954 the NBA introduced a 24-second shot clock, championed by Syracuse Nationals owner Danny Biasone, which lifted league scoring by 14 points per game (from 79 to 93). The change accelerated pace, making all highest-scoring games a product of the shot-clock era and later inspired FIBA’s 24-second adoption in 2000.

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NBA Tests Rules

NBA will use the “one free throw rule” in its summer leagues, while free-throw rules stay for the final two minutes and overtime periods.
NBA will test a “connected basketball” with a sensor that detects contact without noticeably altering the ball’s weight, feel, or playability.
Summer League starts Friday with the California Classic in San Francisco and Sacramento, and runs July 9-19 in Las Vegas as AJ Dybantsa debuts on July 9.

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