NBA’s cell phone ban is a way to tackle gambling

In 2009, the NBA prohibited players and coaches from using their cell phones and social media 45 minutes before tipoff until after postgame media obligations. However, the policy had been scantily enforced in recent years, with players routinely spotted with their mobile devices on the bench during games and at news conferences.

All that is set to change in the 2024-25 season as the league tries to tackle the realistic threat posed by sports betting. 

According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the NBA is set to revise its policy on in-game cell phone and social media use and will convey the new guidelines to the 30 teams later this week.  

“The rule revision is intended, primarily, to keep players and coaches focused on team matters during games. The revision also is intended to bolster the integrity of the game as it relates to gambling,” Begley wrote in part.

As per the new policy, per Begley, each team will designate one point of communication for players and coaches during the “no cell phone” period. This person will also serve as the point of contact for emergency calls or messages during games. 

Earlier this year, the NBA banned the Raptors’ Jontay Porter for life after an investigation revealed he divulged confidential information to bettors and placed bets on games while playing in the G League. 

Ever since the NBA embraced sports betting as a revenue source, players have spoken about being pressured to “meet the spread” by fans attending games and distractions caused by in-arena sportsbooks flashed on screens between quarters and before games. 

The Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. — the older brother of the banned Jontay — said earlier this year that players constantly face the abuse of fans trying to win in-game bets. 

“Every night you are disappointing someone. You’re disappointing the people if you score too much because they may have bet on the under, and you are disappointing people if you didn’t score enough. It’s part of the game now,” Porter said, via The Denver Post.

While the NBA’s integrity has been mostly safeguarded, it only takes a few bad apples. As such, one can see why the NBA is coming down hard on players and coaches with its revised cell phone policy.