Athletes That Caused Rule Changes In Their Sport

Published on 11/04/2019
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Shaquille O’Neal

Speaking of Shaq, this is the second time he’s made the list, but it is not because of what he did in a game. He was dominant on the court but had very poor foul-shot ability, so teams often fouled Shaq when they could and the strategy became known as “Hack-a-Shaq.” Games slowed to a grinding halt, which caused fans and even the teams who used the tactic to get displeased with what was happening. For each intentional foul, as many as 4 minutes can be added to a game’s total length, so the NBA thought of combatting situations like this by making it an undesirable strategy. They decided to award the victimized team with the free throw and retention of possession of the ball.

Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal

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Leroy Edwards

Leroy Edwards was an imposing force back in the ’30s. He proposed all types of problems and his persistent behavior led to the implementation of the three-second rule by the NBA in 1936. This rule says that a player cannot stay inside the restricted area for more than three seconds unless he is guarding a nearby player.

Leroy Edwards

Leroy Edwards

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