The NBA is implementing a “one free throw” rule during this month’s Summer League events in Salt Lake City, Northern California and Las Vegas. Multiple outlets report the league announced the test on Thursday, describing it as a way to improve game flow and help Summer League games finish a few minutes earlier than in prior years.
Under the rule, fouls that normally lead to one, two, or three free throws are handled with a single free-throw attempt instead. That one attempt is adjusted so it is worth the same total number of points as the set of free throws it replaces, preserving scoring rather than changing the payoff of drawing contact.
Sources also place the experiment in the context of prior NBA and G League initiatives. Several outlets note that the G League has used a similar “one free throw” procedure since the 2019–20 season, and that the NBA has previously explored ways to shorten or streamline games.
