sports
NBA to Test One Free Throw Rule and Sensor-Embedded Ball in Summer Leagues
The NBA will trial a single free throw worth multiple points and a basketball with an embedded contact sensor during its 2026 summer leagues. The experiments begin Friday in Northern California, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Data from the sensor will support future officiating tools.
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The NBA will test a one free throw rule and a connected basketball containing an embedded sensor during its 2026 summer leagues in Northern California, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Under the rule, any foul that would normally produce one, two or three free throws instead awards a single attempt worth the same total point value.
The change applies until the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and throughout overtime, when standard free throw procedures resume.
The NBA G League has used the one free throw rule since the 2019-20 season to improve game flow. Both the rule and the sensor-equipped ball were discussed at a recent Competition Committee meeting. The connected basketball detects contact with the ball through its embedded sensor.
The league will collect data from the device to support future officiating applications such as last-touch out-of-bounds calls. The sensor does not alter the ball's weight, feel or playability. The California Classic, the first of the summer leagues, starts Friday, July 3, 2026.
