Coaches expected to get one challenge per game

NBA coaches likely will be challenging one call per game next season.

The league told teams Friday that, pending expected approval by the board of governors on July 9, coaches may challenge a personal foul charged to their team, a called out-ofbounds violation, a goaltending violation or a basketinterference violation. No other call may be challenged.

“We anticipate this rule will be in effect in the NBA next season as a one-year pilot program,” NBA Basketball Operations President Byron Spruell told teams in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. ESPN first reported the memo’s contents.

The NBA already has a call-challenge program in place in the G League and tinkered with it during summer league last year. It will be used during all three summer leagues this season — the four-team league in Sacramento and Salt Lake City that open Monday, and the one in Las Vegas that opens July 5.

Unlike the NFL version of a challenge, there’s no flag to be used and teams will not retain them even if successful. A team will have to call timeout and the coach “must immediately signal for a challenge by twirling his/ her index finger toward the referees,” the memo said.

A challenge must come immediately after the play and challenges of out-ofbounds calls, goaltending or basket interference will not be permitted in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or the last two minutes of overtime.

“As with other replay reviews, in order to overturn the event as called on the floor, there must be clear and conclusive visual evidence that the call was incorrect,” the memo said.

If the challenge is unsuccessful, the team will lose its timeout. If the challenge is upheld, no timeout will be charged.

Kara Lawson is the latest woman headed to the NBA to coach.

Kara Lawson was hired by the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach according to a person familiar with the situation.

While Lawson hasn’t coached in college or the pros, she has served as an adviser for USA Basketball’s 3-on-3 teams over the past few years. She’s also been a commentator for ESPN for the NBA and college basketball as well as being a TV analyst for the Washington Wizards over the past few seasons.

Lawson becomes the latest woman to serve as a coach in the NBA, joining San Antonio’s Becky Hammon, Dallas’ Jenny Boucek and Cleveland’s Lindsay Gottlieb.

Lawson, 38, played in the WNBA from 2003-15 and won a title with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005. Lawson also helped the U.S. win the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.