Pro Basketball

NBA Commissioner David Stern denied the protest by the Phoenix Suns regarding a sixth player on the court during their overtime loss at San Antonio Jan. 3.

After a timeout, an official handed the ball to San Antonio’s Avery Johnson to inbound. Before he threw the ball in, an official detected that the Spurs had six players on the court. J.R. Reid of the Spurs was allowed to leave the court before play continued.

Stern noted that Rule 12, Part A, Section IV-C states that “it is the responsibility of each team to have the proper number of players on the court at all times.” But, according to Example 280 of rules applications, “the ball must be thrown in for a violation to occur.”