Former Champion Richard Jefferson Calls New NBA Rule ‘Cowardly’

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 11:33 AM ET

The NBA finalized a big rule change on Wednesday, altering how statisticians record "heaves" at the end of quarters, following test runs in the G League and 2025 Summer League.

Beginning with the 2025–26 season, missed "desperation shots" taken from at least 36 feet within the final three seconds of the first three quarters, on plays that begin in the backcourt, will be logged as a missed field-goal attempt for the team, not the player.

The Board of Governors approved the change on Wednesday, with the Competition Committee having supported the adjustment to encourage more attempts without penalizing individual shooting percentages.

Many players opt not to launch ultra-low-percentage heaves to protect their efficiency metrics, which can influence contract incentives and negotiations. This new policy is designed to deter this type of behavior.

Within hours, one blunt critique came from 2016 NBA champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers and current TV analyst Richard Jefferson, who posted on X: "This is cowardly! We don’t want it to count towards your %…… UNLESS YOU MAKE IT. You want the positive without the potential for negative. PROFESSIONAL SPORTS 2025."

This is cowardly! We don’t want it to count towards your %…… UNLESS YOU MAKE IT. You want the positive without the potential for negative. PROFESSIONAL SPORTS 2025 https://t.co/frIJ7SBJuh
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) September 11, 2025

As you might expect, the conversion rates on these types of shots are low, but the volume and who’s willing to try them matter.

According to league-cited SportRadar tracking, players converted roughly 4% of such attempts last season; Steph Curry made four, and Nikola Jokic made three.

Jokic attempted a league-record 22 heaves last season and made three. Including those attempts, he shot 57.6% from the field and 41.7% from three; excluding the heaves, his marks would have been 58.4% and 44.0%.

Only Mikal Bridges (12) and Anthony Edwards (10) joined Jokic in double-digit heave attempts, emphasizing how uncommon it is for stars to accept the statistical tax of those shots.

Ultimately, the NBA wants more highlight-reel moments (like last-second buzzer heaves) but also wants stat lines that are representative of a player's skill.

The goal is that putting those misses on the team will increase the frequency with which heaves are taken without disincentivizing players from taking them.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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