Stat-watchers, relax. End-of-quarter heaves won’t kill shooting percentages anymore.
In a move that’s already stirring praise across the league, the NBA has officially adopted a new statistical rule for Summer League games. And it’s straight out of LeBron James’ playbook.
Heaves Are Now Just Heaves
The rule: missed full-court shots from beyond 36 feet in the final three seconds of the first three quarters will no longer count as individual misses. Instead, they’ll be tallied as team field goal attempts.
The change applies to shots:
- Taken in the final three seconds of a quarter
- From beyond 36 feet (edge of center circle)
- That originate in the backcourt
It’s a subtle tweak, but the impact is huge. Players have long hesitated to fire buzzer-beaters from deep. And not because they didn’t want to, but because they didn’t want to tank their stats.
Now? Fire away.
LeBron’s Influence Still Runs Deep
LeBron James floated this exact idea on his Mind the Game podcast with JJ Redick, calling for experimental rule tweaks in the G League and Summer League—everything from goaltending reform to 40-minute games.
“There’s some things that we could possibly just tinker with,” LeBron said on the show. “Use Summer League and G League as test beds.”
That’s exactly what the NBA just did.
Even as he nears 41, LeBron’s influence on league policy is alive and well. From player empowerment to now, statistical evolution. It’s not a scoring title or Finals MVP, but in terms of legacy? It’s meaningful.
Social Media Loves It
The internet didn’t wait long to celebrate. Lakers Nation’s Trevor Lane tweeted:
“Love this rule. No more taking an extra dribble so the clock expires before shooting.”
Fans echoed the sentiment: “Finally,” “Bout time,” and “Let them cook.”
For years, everyone hated seeing a star pull up short at the buzzer, not because they couldn’t shoot. But because they were protecting their FG%. It killed drama. It killed rhythm. Now it might come back.
Could It Go League-Wide?
Right now, the rule is exclusive to Summer League, which kicks off this week in San Francisco with teams like the Lakers, Warriors, Spurs, Grizzlies, and Heat. But if the feedback is strong, there’s speculation it could extend into the regular season.
For players like Nikola Jokic or Steph Curry, who occasionally launch those moonshots anyway, this could be the green light for even more buzzer-beater chaos.