It is undeniable that a single mistake from a referee can change the entire course of a game. This is even true in a sport that is as back and forth as basketball. Now, NBA players have a chance to vent their frustrations at badly made calls with the help of a referee complaint hotline.
Following Adam Silver's succession of David Stern as the NBA Commissioner, one of the new commissioner's first moves was to give the players more autonomy and to culture a sense of democracy, Complex reported. This includes the hotline wherein player's can express their opinions about the league's referees and their respective performances.
Players can use this hotline to communicate how they feel about refs who seemingly single them out during games or those who make bad calls to the detriment of certain teams. This is only one of the major changes Silver has made via the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement.
The NBA also now allows monthly reviews of referees' performances, which coincides with the establishment of this hotline. Rules regarding how players present themselves during the traditional singing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" as well as when they are on the bench have also now become more lenient, according to Sporting News. Players will now also have a say about their team's fines and guidelines surrounding misconducts such as flopping and the like.
Among the other changes included in this agreement was who can make decisions regarding which direction the NBA will go. Toward the end of his tenure, Stern gave equal power to coaches, as was given to the league's 30 general managers. Now, four players will be given equal power and responsibility, including LeBron James, who is the vice president of the players' union.
It would be interesting to see how the NBA will evolve under Silver. The establishment of these new rules is definitely not a bad start to his reign. However, we still have to wait and see what other moves he makes along the way.
Watch an interview with Silver below: