The game of basketball should be played without exaggerations from players to get an advantage as they often do. This is why the NBA governing body had attached a penalty to breachers of the NBA flopping rule which is a new rule with the aim of curtailing excessive attempts to get a foul call from the referee. The new rule on flopping had been fixed to take effect in the new NBA season.
However, it seems that Josh Okogie is the first specimen that will be used to test the flopping rule as he bagged a monetary penalty for violation of the rule, just after the Phoenix Suns matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
Josh Okogie becomes first player to be punished under NBA flopping rule
The shooting guard of the Phoenix Suns, Josh Okogie has gained the dubious title of becoming the first player to face punishment for the 2023–24 NBA season because of the new flopping rule.
Okogie was fined $2,000 by the NBA for exaggerating contact during a game against the Golden State Warriors in order to sell a foul. Late in the game’s final quarter, Okogie was setting up for a rebound when Kevon Looney touched him on the back. It appeared as though Looney had not used any force, but the former swingman for the Minnesota Timberwolves fell as if he had been pushed hard.
Although officials initially missed the call, the league’s review process identified the flopping, and Okogie was handed the fine. This new rule is part of the NBA’s efforts to crack down on in-game flopping. There are added consequences, such as non-unsportsmanlike fouls and technical free throws.
According to the NBA Board of Governors, “Under the new rule, when a game official calls a flop – or a physical act that reasonably appears to be intended to cause the officials to call a foul on another player – the offending player will be charged with a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul and the opposing team will be awarded one free throw attempt, which could be attempted by any player who is in the game when the technical foul is assessed. A player will not be ejected from a game based on flopping violations.”
The flopping fine of $2,000 may look small for high-earning NBA players, it will surely increase incrementally for repeat offenders. However, the ultimate goal of this flopping penalty is to help reduce the way players and coaches try to influence games which seems to be against the fairplay game ethics.
Suns beat Warriors
The Suns won a 108-104 victory over the Warriors in the Pacific Division powerhouse’s season opener. Devin Booker was the best player for the Suns on the floor and came out with 32 points. Despite being questionable due to soreness in his left big toe, Booker also contributed eight assists and six rebounds.
Stephen Curry scored 27 points for the Warriors while Suns’ Kevin Durant scored 18 on a night when he made his return to the Bay Area in front of the Golden State supporters. Curry and Durant were reunited on the court after a long time on the occasion.
The Suns team still came out as the winner despite the ups and downs of the game with the Warriors having a 27-5 run in the third quarter of the game. Jusuf Nurkic who made his debut for the Suns scored 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the final seconds. He also helped the Sun win with his layup. Veteran Chris Paul also made his Warriors debut with a fine game as he scored 14 points, made 9 assists, and got 6 rebounds, even though he struggled with his shots at first.
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