Late in the fourth quarter of the Wizards’ 113-102 season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, John Wall attempted to dupe officials into calling a foul by taking a dive during a last-ditch rally in the final minutes.
With the Wizards trailing 105-98, Wall ran diagonally into Kyle Singler’s running lane and caused a collision. Singler kept running, but Wall threw up his arms and fell to the ground. When referees held their whistles, Wall then scrambled to recover the ball while angrily looking around for a call.
The NBA began to penalize flopping last season. After the initial warning, players are fined $5,000. Repeated flopping offenses would result in escalating fines up to $30,000. Six or more flopping penalties could result in a suspension.