NBA:Rule Changes
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The rules are not fixed. Each off-season the league opens a window to propose changes, and what is adopted is written here.
Where changes are proposed
The commissioner opens a Rule Clarification / Rule Changes / Anything New topic in the NBA: Rule Clarification forum. That thread is where a proposal belongs — not a team forum, and not a transaction thread.
Clarifications are as welcome as changes. If a rule is unclear rather than wrong, post it there and it gets sharpened.
How a change is made
- A GM posts a proposal in the off-season thread.
- It is discussed in the open. Not every proposal goes further — some stop at discussion.
- The proposals chosen for a vote are posted together in a ballot thread.
- Every GM gets one vote on each change, and a majority carries it.
- The adopted rule is written to this wiki.
There is no guarantee anything changes in a given year.
When
The window opens in the off-season, but its timing varies from year to year and it is not strictly enforced — proposals posted well outside it have been taken up and answered.
A thread is named for the season the change would take effect, not the year it is discussed. Check the title before assuming when a rule started.
See also
- League Structure — the commissioner and TAB
- Off-Season — the phases the change window sits alongside
- GM Responsibilities — what is required of you under the current rules