NBA Rules Made Because of Players: NBA Rule Changes History
The history of NBA rule changes can often be tied to specific players. While some of this has been driven by team owners and the league itself, a lot has resulted from the dominance of a lone star.
In this article, we will cover some of the histories of the NBA's major rule changes that have been spurned by some of the most famous (and infamous) players.
Hack-a-Shaq Rule Change
Shaquille O'Neal became one of the greatest centers of all time, thanks to his dominance in the post. At the height of his career in LA, Shaq was making over 55% of his shots to average just under 30 points. Defenses did not have players that could handle his size and strength, leading to the Dallas Mavericks scheming the now-infamous Hack-a-Shaq strategy.
The strategy was simple: they would foul him when Shaq had the ball near the hoop. While Shaq was a dominant scorer, he only made half of his free throws. That means fouling him could turn an easy two points into one or zero.
The strategy was massively successful, leading the rest of the league to follow suit. Its effectiveness made the strategy lead teams to adopt it against other stars that were poor free-throw shooting stars ever since.
The NBA finally addressed the strategy in the 2016-17 season with a new rule change. They introduced the intentional foul, resulting in the other team getting two free throws and the ball. The rule was controversial as it was completely up to the ref's discretion, but its effects were immediate.
Today, teams still employ a limited version of the strategy for stars like Giannis. While it can be effective, it's far more difficult to execute, thanks to this NBA rule change.
Charles Barkley Rule Change
Charles Barkley is an NBA legend both on and off the court. He had success thanks to his physical style of play and ability to score. One of his best strategies was to back his opponent down slowly until he worked his way to a better shot.
This strategy led to many points for Barkley, but it also made his games frustrating to watch for fans. This strategy would involve little movement over an extended time, bringing the action to a grinding halt.
The NBA allowed this to continue for years, but in 1999 they added what is called the "5 Second Rule". The rule states that a player in the frontcourt could not have his back to a defender while dribbling for more than five seconds. The goal was to improve the game's flow and eliminate the tedious and boring strategy that Barkley invented.
While it is rarely called, the five-second rule is now a staple of the NBA.
Addition of the Shot Clock
Of all the rules on this list, the addition of the shot clock has had more impact on the modern-day NBA than any other.
The history of this rule dates back to 1950. The NBA struggled to build its fanbase thanks to low-scoring and often boring play. this was made worse when the Fort Wayne Pistons tried out a new strategy against George Mikan and the Minnesota Lakers. Mikan was one of the league's elite scorers, so the Pistons decided to limit his touches by hanging on to the ball for extended periods. At one point, the Pistons held the ball for over 13 minutes. It would result in the lowest-scoring game in history, with the Pistons winning 19-18.
Other teams adopted the strategy, but the NBA knew it would lead to major problems. They tried passing a few rules to improve the pace of play, but they were ineffective. This led them to adopt the shot clock in the 1954-55 season.
The rule change worked and would be the first step toward the high-scoring game we see today.
Skyhook & Zone Defense Rule Changes
When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar entered the NBA, he found great success with his patented skyhook. While his height and athleticism made this shot great, he also benefited from the NBA rules at the time.
When Kareem entered the league, the NBA banned zone defenses. The defensive strategy was banned in an attempt to make NBA games more exciting. With defenses playing man-to-man, it was very difficult to double-team players in the post. While many players benefited from the ban, it helped Kareem become one of the greatest players in history.
The NBA would stick with the ban until the 2000-01 season when they would allow a limited version of zone defense to be used.
Inbounding over the Backboard Rule Change
The legendary Wilt Chamberlain helped bring this rule into existence. When his team was inbounding from under the basket, his teammates could lob the ball over the backboard and into Wilt's hands for an easy score.
Wilt's size and skill made this almost impossible to stop, leading the NBA to ban the play quickly. It remains an illegal play to this day.
Free Throw Plane Rule Change
This was another rule caused by the incredible Wilt Chamberlinls athletic prowess.
When taking a free throw, Wilt would throw the ball up and then take two steps to dunk it. Given his size and speed, teams were unable to come close to stopping him, giving him a guaranteed basket every time.
This again led the NBA to adjust the rules for Wilt's game. They would now force a free-throw shooter to stay behind the plane until the ball hits the rim. While Wilt was the only one that could pull this off consistently, the rule would remain as NBA players continued to grow in size and speed over the years.
Since the series is being covered in this ridiculous way…why was this not in the last 2 minute report?
— Justin Wills (@itsjwills) June 25, 2021
NBA Rule: “The free throw shooter may not step over the plane of the free throw line until the ball touches the basket ring, backboard or the free throw ends.” pic.twitter.com/fL4NtBY7hr
ZaZa Rule Change
Zaza Pachulia was beloved by fans of his teams but hated by the rest of the NBA. One of the biggest reasons for that was his physical play which earned him the reputation of being a dirty player.
One example of this was his defense against a jump shot. When a player would rise up to shoot over Zaza, he would slide beneath them to block their landing. This was always considered a dirty play, but it gained national attention when he took out Kawhi Leonard in the 2017 Western Conference Finals.
Leonard had gone up for a shot in game one but landed on Zaza's foot which reaggravated an ankle injury. The Spurs star went down and would miss the remainder of the series, allowing the Warriors to advance easily.
with a major star involved in one of the league's biggest stages, the NBA quickly took action. They allowed referees to assess flagrant fouls for reckless defense (AKA closeouts). That means if a player doesn't allow a jump shooter to land, the other team will get two shots and the ball.
James Harden Rule Change
Former MVP James Harden was an elite scorer in the NBA for the first decade of his career. While he is undoubtedly a talented scorer, his points were boosted by a tricky move that would help draw fouls.
Harden would jump toward the defender when shooting, resulting in an easy foul call and a trip to to the line. This was almost impossible to stop without a defender playing far off the ball, which was a dangerous proposition against one of the league's top scorers.
The move drew criticism from players and fans alike, but it was allowed to continue until last season when the NBA finally stepped in. They created a rule where the ref could ignore contact created by an unnatural motion from the shooter. That means when Harden would kick a leg out, he would no longer be getting a free trip to the free throw line.
Harden remains a talented scorer, but his scoring has decreased since the rule was implemented.
Reggie Miller Rule Change
Reggie Miller is considered one of the greatest pure shooters in NBA history. He was able to get open at will, and has plenty of game-winning shots in his career.
One of the reasons for his scoring success came from a play that the NBA would soon outlaw. Like Harden, Miller focused on creating contact when going up for a three. Instead of moving his body, he would kick out a leg to contact a defender and draw an easy foul.
Since Miller often did this from the three-point line, it would result in either three free throws or a chance at a four-point play.
After years of complaining, the NBA changed to outlaw the move. The new rule stated that a shooter who kicks out and contacts a defender will be called for an offensive foul.
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Conclusion
Plenty more rules could have made this list, especially from Wilt Chamberlin. The league continues to evolve and grow to give fans the best possible product.
We don't have room to go through them all, but drop a comment below to share your player-influenced rule!