The NBA will use a new experimental rule during the 2026 Summer League with the aim of speeding up the development of games. The summer competition will adopt the single free kick system, a measure that has already been applied in the G League since the 2019-2020 season.
With this modification, any foul that would normally award one, two or three free throws will be resolved with a single shot. That attempt will have the same total point value as the shots it replaces, thus reducing the time spent on personnel line visits.
The exception will come in the decisive moments of the matches. During the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and in all overtimes, the traditional free throw format will be maintained to preserve the normal development of the game.
Although the NBA has not confirmed that this rule will be implemented in the regular season, the Summer League has served on numerous occasions as a test bed for future modifications to the regulations. Changes such as the coaches’ challenge, resetting the possession clock to 14 seconds after an offensive rebound and calling for an intentional foul to stop a fast break were first tested in the G League and summer league before officially making their way to the NBA.
Summer League activity will begin this Friday with the California Classic, hosted by the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings. Subsequently, the Summer League in Salt Lake City will be played, before the big tournament in Las Vegas, which will bring together the 30 NBA franchises from July 9 to 19.
One of the main attractions will be the debut of the number one in the Draft, AJ Dybantsa, who could face the second selected, Darryn Peterson, in one of the most anticipated duels of the contest.
