Seven basketball giants who changed the NBA rules

With the NBA league planning to amend the traveling violation rule, LeBron James is expected to become another superstar who successfully changes basketball rules. However, compared to the legends in history who forced the league to modify rules to limit their performance through their dominance, this time James is rarely making the rules adapt for him.

1. George Mikan

As the first emperor-level star in NBA history, Mikan's height of 2.08 meters might not seem particularly outstanding today, but in his era, it was considered alien-level. The league had no choice but to expand the width of the three-second zone from 6 feet to 12 feet to restrict Mikan's terrifying power in dominating the opponent's paint. However, Mikan's destructive force did not seem to be greatly affected by this, because while this rule change limited Mikan's scoring ability, it also significantly restricted Mikan's opponents, paradoxically making Mikan even more at ease controlling the rebounds.

2. Wilt Chamberlain

Chamberlain is the king of data in NBA history, with superhuman stats like 100 points in a single game, 55 rebounds in one game, and hitting 18 consecutive shots, all showcasing Chamberlain's prowess while highlighting the helplessness of his opponents. For this reason, the NBA widened the three-second zone from 12 feet to 16 feet to limit Chamberlain's dominance.

3. Shaquille O'Neal

Dr. James Naismith, the creator of basketball, definitely did not expect that there would be a monster like Shaq on the court. After "The Big Aristotle" burst onto the scene, the league realized that the current basketball rules were seriously lagging behind the pace of human evolution. Therefore, under O'Neal's significant influence on basketball rules, the league successively modified the restricted area under the basket, allowed the use of zone defense tactics, and introduced the interior three-second violation. Additionally, targeting O'Neal's poor free-throw shooting, the league specifically stipulated that fouling a non-ball-carrying player in the last two minutes of the game would result in a one-and-one free throw, to avoid the awkward situation of O'Neal being chased around the court by opponents at the end of games.

4. Charles Barkley

Barkley probably had the most robust buttocks in league history. When he attacked with the ball from the back, almost no defender could withstand the continuous assault of "Sir Charles'" massive rear. Thus, the "Barkley Rule" was born. The official name of this rule is the "five-second rule for post-up offense," meaning that a player cannot hold the ball and attack from the back for more than five seconds. From then on, Barkley could no longer take 24 seconds to gradually push the defender to under the basket and score easily.

5. Rasheed Wallace

Players and coaches will be called for a technical foul if they argue with referees over calls or insult them verbally or with gestures. This is now known as the "zero-tolerance" NBA technical foul rule. This rule has another title: the "Rasheed Wallace Rule." Although this nickname was self-bestowed by "The Anger," and the modification of the rule was not explicitly tailored for any specific player, as one of the top technical foul kings in the league, the name "Rasheed Wallace Rule" is certainly well-deserved.

6. Dikembe Mutombo

Mutombo was an outstanding defensive center. Although his scoring ability was almost negligible, his second-place ranking on the historical blocks list is enough to make many inside players bow in reverence. His iconic gesture of wagging his finger after blocking a shot often got him technical fouls. But as Mutombo's reputation grew, the league finally amended the rule in 2007, allowing Mutombo to wag his finger after a block, provided that he didn't wag it directly at his opponent.

7. Allen Iverson

Although Iverson is not happy with his current situation on the Pistons, the young "Answer" was undoubtedly one of the best penetration players in the league. With solid skills and innate speed, Iverson's unstoppable penetration completely disrupted the balance of the game. The league had no choice but to modify the details of the zone defense to help defenders restrict his penetration ability.