NBA expands scope of coach’s challenge on some out-of-bounds plays

FILE – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talks to reporters before Game 1 of basketball’s NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

NEW YORK— The NBA has expanded the permissible scope of coach’s challenge reviews on some out-of-bounds plays, saying Tuesday that if a foul should have been called on the play it now can be assessed shortly after the fact.

The league’s Board of Governors approved the move on the second day of its two-day meeting in New York, after it was unanimously recommended by the league’s competition committee last week. The change will take effect this season.

The review change could have come into play at least once in last season’s playoffs, when Dallas’ Kyrie Irving fouled Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels and the ball went out of bounds. No foul was called on the play, and even though the review clearly showed Irving hitting McDaniels’ arm the ball was awarded to Dallas because it went out off of McDaniels.

When such out-of-bounds plays have reviews triggered by coaches challenging now, on-court officials and the NBA Replay Center “will be able to review the video to determine whether a foul proximate to the violation should have been called,” the league said, providing that certain criteria are met.

Those criteria: whether the players involved in the uncalled foul are the same or different players than the ones involved in the out-of-bounds violation under review, and how much time has elapsed between the uncalled foul and the violation.

FIBA visits the meeting

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told The Associated Press last month that the league is ramping up talks with FIBA on how to best increase its competitive footprint in Europe either through an annual tournament or an NBA-operated league.

As part of those talks, FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis visited the board of governors meeting on Tuesday.

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“There’s agreement that where we are in terms of the level of interest in basketball in Europe is not commensurate with the commercial activities. … I think the way all of us see it, it’s not just about a business opportunity,” Silver said. “We’ve been in this position before in our leagues, where if you can’t demonstrate to the market that you can run a successful business, it’s not sustainable. I think for basketball to continue to grow, we need (something) whether it’s a series of tournaments or a league that is viable.”

Expansion update

There was not much in the way of expansion talks during this board meeting, Silver said, for one simple reason: “We’re not quite ready,” the commissioner said.

Silver had said many times that once the league got its next series of media rights deals done — something that was signed earlier this summer, though there is an ongoing legal challenge brought by Warner Bros. Discovery — that expansion would be the next big thing for the league to tackle.

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“I know I’ve said this before, I think over time organizations should grow. It is appropriate,” Silver said. “But it gets a bit complicated in terms of selling equity in the league, what that means for the existing television relationships, etc. What we’ve told interested parties is, ‘Thank you for your interest, we’ll be back to you.’”

Timberwolves, Celtics sales update

The NBA is essentially in wait-and-see mode regarding the potential sales of two franchises, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics.

The sale situation surrounding the Timberwolves has been in dispute for months. Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez agreed more than three years ago to buy the Timberwolves for $1.5 billion from Glen Taylor, who halted the sale on March 28 because he said they missed the deadline to make the final payment. Those parties are headed to arbitration, though it remains unclear what will come of that.

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“That’s a process that exists independent of the league that was set out in the sales agreement,” Silver said.

Meanwhile, in July, the ownership group of the NBA champion Boston Celtics, led by Wyc Grousbeck, said it intends to sell the majority of its shares later this year or early next year, then close on a sale of the balance of remaining shares in 2028.

“I think that Wyc Grousbeck and his ownership group are in the process of working through what the steps will be,” Silver said.