NBA moves to ensure star players appear in more games

NEW YORK — The NBA took steps Wednesday to try to ensure that its star players appear in more games, particularly nationally televised matchups and the in-season tournament that is being added this year.

The league’s board of governors approved a new player participation policy that will take effect for this upcoming season, replacing the player resting policy that was implemented prior to the 2017-18 season. The new rules focus primarily on star players — someone who has been an All-Star or on the All-NBA team in any of the prior three seasons.

Teams will have to manage their rosters to ensure that multiple available star players aren’t sitting out the same game to rest.

The league will have the ability to penalize teams that violate the policy by fining them $100,000 for the first infraction and $250,000 for the second. Each successive violation increase by $1 million.

The NBA also wants teams to maintain a balance between the number of one-game absences a star player has at home and on the road, as well as refrain from any long-term shutdowns where a star player stops playing games.

There are exceptions to the policies for injuries, personal reasons and pre-approved back-to-back restrictions based on a player’s age, career workload or serious injury history.