NBA players can now fire up those end-of-quarter heaves from deep without their shooting percentages being adversely affected.
The league has approved a change in the way statistics on those shots are recorded, which could spur players to take more heaves from very, very deep with hopes of a miracle make. It was finalized at the league’s board of governors meeting on Wednesday.
The rule change was tried out at Summer League in Las Vegas back in July, as well as the smaller leagues that month in Utah and California.
For stat-keeping purposes, the NBA will tell teams that any shot taken within the final three seconds of the first three quarters and is launched from at least 36 feet away on any play that starts in the backcourt will count as a team shot attempt — but not an individual one.
Many players have avoided taking the miracle 50-footer or deeper shot at the end of quarters to protect their personal shooting percentages. The “heave rule,” the league hopes, will fix that.
According to SportRadar, players last season made about 4% of shots taken in the final three seconds of the first three quarters of a game with the 36-foot minimum distance. Based on its tracking data, Golden State’s Stephen Curry made four shots under those criteria last season and Denver’s Nikola Jokic made three.
In addition to the heave rule, the NBA Cup, which has had a Final Four setup for its semifinals and final in Las Vegas — and will again this season — will be changing in 2026-27.
The league has decided that semifinals will be played at the home arena of the higher-seeded team in each conference starting next season. The final — which doesn’t count on either team’s record — will be the only game played at a neutral site.
The board also approved a change to coach’s challenges, with it starting this season.
During review following a challenge of an out-of-bounds violation, the replay center official — not the crew chief — “will determine whether a proximate foul should have been called,” the league said.
The NBA says it will expedite review times.
Last season was the first where referees could determine whether a proximate foul should have been called on certain plays. The change was unanimously recommended by the competition committee and league office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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