LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma received warnings on Friday for violating the NBA’s anti-flopping rule in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 115-105 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, the League announced.
The NBA said James’s foul occurred with 2 minutes and 33 seconds remaining in the second quarter when James, sandwiched between Dillon Brooks and the Grizzlies’ Grayson Allen, fell to the ground while battling for a rebound.
Kuzma faked it with 6:31 remaining in the fourth quarter, according to the League. While defending Brooks, Kuzma attempted an offensive foul by turning and landing on the ground after Brooks dropped his shoulder and made contact with Kuzma’s hip.
The NBA tried to clean up the game by following the summons from the 2012-13 season. After receiving a warning, a player can face fines ranging from $ 5,000 to $ 10,000 to $ 15,000 to $ 30,000 for each subsequent offense. If a player achieves six simulations in a season, the fine can be further increased and the League has the right to issue a suspension.
Nearly a decade after the rule change was introduced, the anti-flopping rule is rarely applied. James and Kuzma are just the sixth and seventh players to be booked with warnings from the League this season, alongside LaMelo Ball, DJ Augustin, Gary Trent Jr., Kristaps Porzingis and Mason Jones.
The last player to be fined by the NBA for failure was Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics during the 2020 playoffs.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.