It would be nearly impossible to determine when the first 'flop' occured in the annals of NBA history, but it became a horrible epidemic after the European invasion of the '80s and '90s.  Guys like Vlade Divac, Sarunas Marciulionis, and the late Drazen Petrovic paved the way for today's generation of floppers.

I get why guys do it.  If you can bate an official into an offensive foul call by taking a dive, it can make a huge difference in a tight ball game.  I don't begrudge players for trying to gain an edge to win, I blame the league for allowing it to continue.......until today.

The league announced today that players deemed to have flopped will get a warning the first time, then be fined $5,000 for a second violation. The fines increase to $10,000 for a third offense, $15,000 for a fourth and $30,000 the fifth time. Six or more could lead to a suspension.

Hours after the league announced the new penalties, the NBA Players Association said it planned to file a grievance with the NBA and an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.

Obviously, determining what is a flop and what is a charge is very subjective, but the NBA said flopping will be defined as "any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player."

"The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact," the league said.

It will be difficult to completely eliminate this cancer from the NBA, but today's actions will go a long way to curing the problem.

(ESPN)

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