Silver says NBA may change intentional fouling rule - for next season

TORONTO - The NBA may make changes to prevent the increasingly more practiced, and increasingly loathed, hack-a-Shaq tactic.

Hack-a-Shaq is the strategy of fouling a poor free-throw shooter away from the basketball in an effort to limit an opponent's scoring. The tactic is best known for being implemented against, and named for, former center Shaquille O'Neal.

"It's an issue that we have been studying for some time now," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday night at his all-star weekend news conference.

Silver said changes cannot be enacted during this season. The league has a competition committee in place to oversee this season's data before making a recommendation.

"So far, up to the all-star break this season, we're seeing the hack-a-Shaq strategy used at roughly a 51/2 times greater rate than it was used last season," Silver said. "So to the extent that the data is coming in, showing there is a clear trend and that clearly our coaches, who are smart and using very complex analytics, believe it is benefiting them."

Right now, there's no clear consensus what the new rule would be to prevent teams from implementing the strategy. And in order to get a rule to pass, 20 of the 30 teams would have to vote in favor of it.

"I don't think it would be fair to change the rule midseason," Silver said. "That's why I'm fairly confident nothing will happen until the owners have a chance to consider it in our April meeting, which they will, and then to potentially vote on something at the July meeting."

Minnnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine won his second consecutive slam dunk contest, beating Orlando's Aaron Gordon in the final.

Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson won the three-point contest, beating teammate Steph Curry and Devon Booker of the Phoenix Suns in the final.

Timberwolves rookie center Karl-Antony Towns won the skills challenge. The competition tested ballhandling, passing, and perimeter shooting.