The NBA Board of Governors voted on Tuesday to approve an expanded use of video replay on coach’s challenges for out-of-bounds calls, according to an announcement from the league. The change will take effect for the 2024/25 season.
Under the new rule, if an instant replay of an out-of-bounds call is triggered by a coach’s challenge, referees will have the ability not just to review who last touched the ball but also whether a foul should have been called.
Within its press release, the league included a video of a crucial last-minute play involving the Mavericks and Timberwolves from Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals to illustrate how the new rule will work.
In that case, referees initially ruled that the ball was last touched by Mavs guard Kyrie Irving before going out of bounds. Dallas challenged the call and it was determined that Timberwolves forward Jalen McDaniels actually touched it last, giving possession to the Mavs, whose challenge was deemed successful.
However, the video replay also showed that Irving fouled McDaniels on his left arm before the ball landed out of bounds, which wasn’t reviewable at the time. If the new rule had been in effect, officials could have called that foul on Irving, giving the Wolves possession of the ball or free throws (if Minnesota was in the bonus) and rendering the Mavs’ challenge unsuccessful.
According to the NBA’s announcement, the competition committee unanimously recommended the rule change to the Board of Governors, who voted to implement it.
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