NBA Pulls Every Player Off the Court Until Each Has Personally Explained a Missed Free Throw to a Federal Judge

The NBA has ordered every active player to stand before a federal judge and explain each missed shot before being allowed back on the court, officials announced on Tuesday. The league's new Office of Courtroom Accountability will hear cases in shifts, with players arriving at the Manhattan federal courthouse in full uniform and sneakers so that the bench can examine their footwork. Teams have been told to book two hours per player, and the courthouse cafeteria has extended its hours to accommodate the line.

The policy grew out of a single decision by the league's security office to treat every free throw as a potential wire transaction. Under the new rules, a player who misses a shot must be sworn in, placed in a witness box and asked whether the miss was a product of arm angle, fatigue or a private arrangement with a bookmaker. Players have been issued identical navy blazers for these hearings, and the marshals' service has built a second hearing room on the ninth floor.

Players who answer questions to the satisfaction of the court are issued a stamped card and may return to practice the following morning. Those who decline to say whether they were tired are placed on a bench inside the courtroom until the next session. A league spokesman said the arrangement would remain in effect until the first full season in which no player has needed to be recalled, a standard he described as achievable "once the rebounding is also explained."

Coaches have begun rehearsing their own press conferences in front of a judge's gavel, and at least one franchise has installed a wooden witness stand beside the locker room tunnel. Fans attending games are now asked to remain in their seats until the final buzzer, when the referees announce the names of players who will be sent to Manhattan the following week.

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