NBA announces official anti-flopping policy

The NBA officially announced its anti-flopping policy, defining the act and setting up penalties for determined flops. A player's first flopping violation will result in a warning, and every violation after that will lead to a fine increasing incrementally depending on how many times the player is a repeat offender. Here are the levels of punishment under the new policy:

• Violation 1: Warning
• Violation 2: $5,000 fine
• Violation 3: $10,000 fine
• Violation 4: $15,000 fine
• Violation 5: $30,000 fine

The punishment enters a bit of a legalese-stained gray area after the fifth violation, with the league determining an appropriate fine or suspension that is "reasonable under the circumstances."

The NBA defines a flop as "any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player." Identifying those acts is a bit trickier, but the league added that the primary indicator is a reaction inconsistent with what would be "reasonably expected" from the contact.

The new policy applies only to the regular season, with the NBA announcing that a separate policy and punishments will be announced for flopping in the playoffs.