James Harden (and many others) beware! The NBA is cracking down on flopping, and it starts at Summer League. The league’s annual offseason showcase isn’t just a proving ground for young players and coaches, it’s also a place where the league tests Summer League rules to see if they’ll work in the league. And that’s exactly what the league is doing with its new anti-flopping policy.

Flopping — when a player exaggerates contact to trick a referee into calling a foul — is a problem in the NBA. Too many players spend too much time gesticulating wildly, trying to manipulate the referees into calling a foul. And frankly, players have gotten very good at it, which slows down and uglies up the game.

So, the league is trying to stop the flops with a new anti-flopping NBA Summer League rule its testing. The league has laid out three edicts pertaining to this new rule. They are:

  • If a flopping penalty is assessed by game officials, the opposing team will be awarded one free throw and possession of the ball.
  • A player who commits a flop will be assessed a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul, which does not count as a personal foul or lead to an ejection.
  • Officials will not be required to stop live play to call a flopping violation. They can wait until the next neutral opportunity to stop play.

This rule will be the first of its kind in the NBA. However, international soccer leagues and competitions have had anti-flopping rules for a while now, where players can receive a yellow card for “simulation.”

In addition to the anti-flopping NBA Summer League rule, the league is also testing a rule where if a team’s first coach's challenge is successful, they will not only retain their timeout but also get a second challenge, like in the NFL.