NBA Player Participation Policy: Why Aren’t Basketball Franchises Allowed to Rest Their Star Players?

In the absolute vast majority of team sports, it would be unthinkable that league chiefs would involve themselves in team selection.

Could you imagine the Football Association telling Pep Guardiola who he can and can’t pick for Manchester City? Could you fathom the NFL decreeing who the New York Jets should play at quarterback? (that might have helped, actually, given Aaron Rodgers’ torn achilles).

Either scenario is completely bizarre, and yet over in the NBA chiefs have imposed a new rule that effectively picks each franchise’s team for them.

As of the 2023/24 season, head coaches will only be allowed to hand a rest to one ‘star player’ per game – any more than that and their franchise will be hit with a fine, which for repeat offenders could reach a staggering $1 million (£800,000) per infringement.

So what is the new star player rule in the NBA, and how will it change the landscape of the season?

What is a Star Player in the NBA?

During each NBA campaign, the players, fans and selected media representatives select the players they believe have excelled the most on the court to appear in the All-Star Game; an exhibition match which pits the best talents hand-picked from the Eastern and Western Conferences.

NBA All-Stars in 2023

(s) denotes starters

Similarly, there’s the All-NBA Team – picked by the most revered journalists and broadcasters, this is essentially a dream starting five made up of two guards, two forwards and a centre that are considered to have had the best season.

The 2022-23 Kia All-NBA First Team:

▪️ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
▪️ Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks
▪️ Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
▪️ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
▪️ Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics pic.twitter.com/Jbq2PgwaQe

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 10, 2023

There’s typically crossover between the All-Star and All-NBA teams, but the important thing to note is that anybody that has appeared in either of these outfits over the preceding three seasons is now considered, under the NBA’s own definition, to be a ‘star player’.

What is the NBA’s Player Participation Policy?

All of which brings us nicely to team selection, and how coaches must now balance their rosters based upon the star players at their disposal.

As part of the NBA’s ruling, only one star player can be rested per game – the idea being that fans want to see the best talents playing as often as possible. This has been documented as the league’s Player Participation Policy.

There’s other elements to the rule. Teams must ensure that all of their star players are available to feature in nationally televised games and the NBA In-Season Tournament, while a balance must be struck between resting star players in home and away games – with sanctions for those that choose to exclusively rest their stars on the road.

Franchises are also prohibited from long-term ‘shutdowns’ – that is, resting the same player for extended periods of time, and if a star player is rested they must still attend the game(s) they are missing and be ‘visible’ to the fans and TV cameras.

There are some exceptions to the rule based upon age, injury problems and personal reasons, but all told franchises and their head coaches are now effectively being told who to play and when – not exactly the democratic approach that allows elite-level athletes to thrive….

What Will Be the Impact of the Policy?

You can kind of understand the thinking behind the NBA’s decision: they want to promote their league and the sport of basketball as a whole by ensuring the best players are involved in the action as often as possible.

But the NBA season is long – teams will play 82 regular season games in 2023/24, as well as any play-off involvement, with some almighty away trips to be made in addition to the high octane action out on the court.

There’s a possibility that star players will be fatigued with the burden of playing so many minutes, so by the time the post-season comes around they are unable to perform to the best of their abilities – the complete opposite of a healthy and competitive league programme.

There are other implications for teams with more than one star player in their midst. For example, the Boston Celtics won’t be able to rest Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for the same game – good news for their supporters, but perhaps not ideal for a franchise with ambitions of winning the NBA Championship if their best players are burdened with enforced playing time.

The Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves, meanwhile, will head into 2023/24 with a whopping four star players each in their squads – they will have to find a way to balance the playing time of their big names, although it seems inevitable they will face burnout given the extra minutes they will now be forced to play.

Long term, the rules dictated by the Player Participation Policy may even force franchises and their recruitment teams to reconsider having more than one star player on their books – instead focusing on talented types yet to get a call-up to the All-Star or All-NBA sides. Ultimately, that may mean that star players are spread evenly across the myriad franchises; maybe not a bad thing for bolstering the competitiveness of the Eastern and Western Conferences.

“If you’re a healthy player in this league, you’re expected to play,” said Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA.

“There’s a sense from all the different constituent groups across the league that this is about the fans. It’s gotten away from us, particularly when you see young, healthy players.”

Silver has also claimed that increasing the playing schedule of star players won’t have a detrimental effect on their fitness levels or injury record.

“We don’t see any statistical data suggesting players increase their likelihood of getting injured as they go further along in their season, or even in back-to-backs, which may surprise people.”

However it plays out, don’t expect other team sports to introduce such a radical concept any time soon….