If you’re a regular follower of the NBA, then it’s likely you will have noticed something curious about the action. Many times throughout matches, and therefore the entire season, the well-known offence of “travelling” goes unpunished by the officials.
According to the official NBA rules, only two steps are allowed, and any further movement requires the player to dribble the ball first, or either shoot, or pass. Yet, some players have been seen taking as many as five steps without any call being made. So, what’s going on? Is the lack of enforcement in the NBA an effort to enhance the spectacle?
A Long-Standing Concern
The debate around travelling violations is far from new in the world of the NBA and basketball in general. Even before the internet became widespread—around 2000—discussions on the subject were already heating up. At that time, you could barely watch the sport on television, except occasionally on select cable channels. Today, the landscape has shifted. Basketball fans can now immerse themselves in themed digital experiences, from advanced streaming options to online games like basketball slots available on trusted gambling platforms. If this is something new for you, exploring such slots doesn’t necessarily have to involve real money. Beginners can take advantage of a casino’s welcome promotion, while the most dedicated users can use a VIP casino bonus offer to try out basketball slots.
Largely because of more accessibility to live matches and replays, travelling calls have become more noticeable. But the big question remains: if travelling is clearly prohibited by the official regulations, why does it still happen so much and without a clearly defined and consistently enforced standard, doesn’t this pose a risk to the integrity of the game?
The Great NBA Travelling Debate
Between 2017 and 2022, complaints about travelling in the NBA appeared to reach their peak. It was in 2022 that the league’s administration finally turned its attention to the issue, and the number of travelling violations called in matches increased significantly. Data shows that the number of calls doubled in that 2022 season, reaching the highest volume of infractions since 1990.
Before things reached that turning point, stars like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard had already been “accused” of not only committing travelling violations but also carrying the ball. But many fans saw the NBA superstars being made scapegoats, as punishing them sent a strong message to the rest of the players in the league, who didn’t share the same kind of spotlight.
The League’s Explanations and Decisions
Surprisingly, in 2009, Joe Borgia, then the NBA’s Vice President of Referee Operations, stated in an ESPN interview that the rules were not being strictly enforced because it was an official NBA policy to be more lenient when it comes to travelling violations to prevent stoppages.
However, by the 2022–23 season, as the league began addressing the issue, due to external pressure surrounding such a hot topic. Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s Vice President of Referee Development and Training, made it clear that referee training and development were evolving to bring more consistency and strictness to travelling infractions.
The Problem Persists — Or Is It Even a Problem?
On one side, some defend the decision not to call certain fouls, basing their argument on the fact that if every travelling violation were called, the game would lose its fluidity and entertainment value because it happens so much. On the other side, some call for clearer and more consistent rule enforcement because, without well-defined criteria, how can a match be considered fair?
But the debate deepens even further because, according to many fans, it’s now the star players who benefit most from leniency. Superstars like Steph Curry are what draw people to the NBA, which is a business after all, and basketball lovers desperately want to see the best players doing their thing and not being hindered by constant referee calls.
But is a bias over calls actually happening? Unfortunately, there are no robust statistical studies on the matter, so it all comes down to opinion. But one thing is certain, and that’s as long as travelling violations continue, controversy will follow.
It also keeps people talking about the NBA. The topic often goes viral, and videos of questionable plays can rack up as many as 8 million views online. At the end of the day, all that feeds back into the visibility of the NBA product, so maybe the league is OK with things as they are.
Main Image: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
