Respect For The Game: What’s Allowed in the NBA, and What’s Not

The NBA’s Respect for the Game Rules have received a lot of attention over the past few months. Published in 2010, these rules have remained unchanged since they were first distributed by the league.

These rules, also sent in a 2015 memo by referee operations, act as guidelines for what actions are permitted by players, like expressing disagreement with a call as long as the reaction is not aggressive or asking a referee a question in a civil manner. Also outlined are actions that will result in a warning, and are not permitted when communicating with referees, like continuing to discuss a call when the official has responded, or actions that will result in a technical like using profanity or aggressively approaching an official.

As a result of misinterpretation, these rules and their enforcement have caused some controversy this season. However, it is our job as referees to uphold these rules as laid out by the league. Below is a breakdown of what’s allowed, and what’s not: