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A major experiment will take place during this year’s NBA Summer League.
The NBA announced Thursday that the “one free throw rule” will be used at the Summer League events taking place this month in Salt Lake City, Northern California and Las Vegas.
The G League has used this rule since the 2019-20 season, which is designed to speed up the game.
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Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks shoots a free throw during the game against the San Antonio Spurs during Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
Any foul that would typically result in one, two or three free throws being awarded will instead result in a single free throw attempt. That attempt will be worth the same total points as the free throws it replaces.
However, the rule does not apply to the entire game. Standard free throw rules — two shots for a two-shot violation, etc. — will be used in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and throughout overtime.
Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs takes a foul shot against the New York Knicks during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) ((Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images))
It’s unclear whether the one-free throw rule will make it into NBA play, but similar to the minor and independent leagues and Major League Baseball, the Summer League has been a proving ground for possible rule changes.
Among those who started at those levels and eventually made it to the NBA, the coach’s challenge is to reset the 24-second shot clock to 14 seconds after offensive rebounds and the one-shot award for a transition take-foul — which is when a defender intentionally commits a foul to stop an opposing transition opportunity.
Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a free throw in the first half of Game 4 against the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA playoffs on May 10, 2026, in Philadelphia. (Matt Slocum/AP)
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The G League also plays 10-minute quarters, something NBA commissioner Adam Silver has openly advocated. The league once tested 11-minute quarters in a preseason game, while exhibition games prior to the 2020 “bubble” used 10-minute quarters.
The summer league begins on July 9.
