The NBA has issued its first team fine under a new rule that was implemented this season that requires teams to justify the rest of any of their best players and does not allow multiple healthy star players to sit out at the same time, as part of a so-called NBA’s Player Participation Policy meant to ensure that every team has a fan-favorite player on the court for every game.
The Brooklyn Nets became the first team to be fined by the NBA under the player participation policy
The Brooklyn Nets became the first team to be fined by the NBA under the new policy on Thursday, when the league announced a $100,000 first-offense fine for sitting several players on the bench during the team’s 144-122 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 27.
After a review by an independent physician, the NBA determined that the Nets’ decision to sit four rotation players for the game—according to ESPN, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson, and Nic Claxton—violated the policy’s rules, but Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said he had to “make executive decisions for the betterment of the group.”
After the first quarter, the Nets also rested Mikal Bridges, Royce O’Neale, and Cam Thomas.
What is NBA’s player participation policy?
The policy, which was approved by the NBA Board of Governors before the start of the season, is intended to “promote player participation” in all league games and impacts star players, who are defined as anyone who has been named to an All-NBA team or an NBA All-Star team in the previous three seasons.
Teams that intend to bench a healthy star player must provide an approved reason to the league, ensure that no more than one-star player is out per game, and ensure that the player is still “visible to fans” from the bench.
Star players must be available for all nationally televised and in-season tournament games, and teams are not permitted to have any players stop playing for an extended period unless they are injured.