Effective immediately, NBA bans midcourt sideline TV cameras

Don’t expect to see players or officials trip over cameramen in midcourt anymore.

The NBA is cracking down on player and referee injuries, by making the move to ban midcourt sideline television cameras reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

The decision, which will come into effect immediately, comes after referee Scott Wall rolled his ankle tripping over a cameraman in the Memphis Grizzlies 102-101 win over the Denver Nuggets last week. It’s not the first incident involving a midcourt cameraman, as LeBron James was also a victim after tripping over a cameraman during Game 1 of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxfVlxwQXIg

The ban will affect nationally televised games, which deployed cameramen on both sides of midcourt.

Windhorst reports the move was made at the request of referees to give them and players more safety.

“The National Basketball Referees Association had requested a change recently, sources said. As teams increase the number of 3-pointers and the depth of them, referees have been moving farther and farther out to create angles to officiate. This left them more susceptible to the cameramen near midcourt.”

As Windhorst notes the NBA has made several changes to ensure safety for officials and players. Cameramen were moved on the baseline to create more room, and basket standards were also moved back to allow more space under the rim.

The NBA clearly doesn’t want to see anyone hurt in the name of entertainment, and clearly the compromise is fair. Nobody is going to say a broadcast is ruined because they don’t get a low-angle shot of a bench or play, as there’ll be plenty of other shots to substitute the moment, even if they’re not as close as the midcourt shot.