NBA to Experiment with Challenge Flag During 2018 Summer League
The NBA will apparently take a page out of the NFL rulebook by testing out a challenge flag for replays.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe explained Sunday that the league will experiment with the possible rule change during the upcoming summer league, according to Justin Termine of SiriusXM NBA.
The NBA already has extensive rules for replay, which began in 2002-03 and continue to evolve each season.
Many things are allowed to be reviewed in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime, including out-of-bounds plays and potential goaltending. The ability to review block/charge calls was also added in 2012-13 and gained notoriety in Game 1 of the NBA Finals with LeBron James eventually called for a block in the final minute of regulation.
However, all replays are called for by officials instead of coaches.
In the NFL, coaches are allowed to challenge a call by throwing a red flag onto the field. While a smaller arena in the NBA could allow coaches to simply ask a referee to challenge a call, the flag could create a quick reaction and immediate game stoppage.
There would likely still be limits for what can be reviewed, but this experiment could provide coaches the first opportunity to gain more control over questionable calls.
