This season, the NBA has been tightening down on flopping, issuing fines and technical fouls for violations. The league announced on Sunday afternoon that Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has been fined $2,000 for a flop in Saturday night’s loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Jokic’s flop happened with 3:37 left in the fourth quarter, and it happened on a play in which his opponent was called for a foul. While Jokic’s fall to the ground does not necessarily imply he was not fouled on the play, the NBA believes it was unnecessary and has punished him for it.
NBA officials have a difficult job, which is made even more difficult by all of the flopping. One of the reasons why the league is tightening down on violations is to maintain the game’s integrity as much as possible. While some players say that flopping is just part of the game, the league does not like players who try to deceive officials into making wrong calls.
The NBA does not go into detail on these flopping offenses, unlike their previous two-minute report, but they do give a video of the play along with the notification that a player has been fined.