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Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers
Third-year Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James is the latest victim of the NBA’s new controversial Point of Emphasis rule geared to crack down on offensive players who use their arms to push off defenders. Bronny was called for an offensive foul while being guarded by Stephen Curry during Tuesday’s Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors preseason game.
Interestingly, both men laughed at the call, as the clip below shows. Some believe they were mocking the new rule, which has drawn heavy criticism from fans and analysts.
Ref called Bronny for a push-off vs. Steph 😅
They both couldn’t help but laugh 😂
NBA’s New Rule Sparks Controversy
Toronto Raptors All-Star Scottie Barnes became the first victim of the new push-off rule during his team’s preseason opener against the Miami Heat. Driving to the rim against Klay Thompson, Barnes flared his left arm to make a little room and immediately got hit with a foul. In years past, the move would have been considered legal.
After the game, Barnes didn’t hold back on the “weird” new rule.
“I don’t really care about the call,” he said after the game.
“You know, it looks a little weird. Stuff that they say is a foul and the stuff that they say isn’t a foul all kind of look the same to me. It’s weird. Depends on who’s going to rep the game, how they feel. I don’t know. I can’t say too much. I’m not trying to get fined.”
Earlier this month, Monty McCutchen (the NBA’s SVP, Head of Referee Development and Training) provided some context on the NBA’s new push-off rule.
“Firming and feeling are going to be legal offensive moves. Forcefully pushing off or giving full extension (with the off-arm) are illegal,” McCutchen said, adding, “The competition committee made it very clear they wanted talented players to continue to be able to create separation to some degree.
Lakers vs Warriors
With Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler sitting out, the Lakers lost 124-98 to the Warriors in the second night of a back-to-back in the presason.
Bronny James finished with four points, five assists and one rebound in 21 minutes as a starter, while Sandro Mamukelashvili led the way for the Lakers with 15 points.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry dropped 16 points in just 14 minutes, alleviating fears of his knee injury hampering the start to the new NBA campaign. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg led the way for the Warriors with 17 points and nine rebonds.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sportswriter with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit and more. More about Sai Mohan