NBA issuing revised policy about cell phone use during games for players and coaches, per report

The NBA appears to be getting more serious about enforcing the rules after the Jontay Porter betting scandal

The NBA is expected to communicate a revised policy on cell phone and social media usage during games for players and coaches, according to SNY's Ian Begley. The NBPA has worked closely with the league on this revision, according to Begley, and it will build on the existing policy. That original policy was instituted in 2009, and the league defined "during games" as the period starting 45 minutes before tipoff and ending after media obligations have been fulfilled.

While social media usage from players during games is rare, it's not unheard of. The 2009 rule was initially informally referred to as the "Villanueva rule" after then-Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva tweeted from the locker room at halftime of a game. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups has also told the story of one of his players posting a highlight video of a dunk at halftime while they trailed by 18 points. Some teams also have their own policies about cell phone and social media usage that go beyond league policy.

While tweets and highlights are relatively harmless, there is a more serious reason the league would want to strictly enforce these policies right now: the proliferation of legal sports gambling. Last season, then-Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA for life after he allegedly gave information to bettors that allowed them to make prop bets on his individual stats. 

The last thing the league wants right now is critical pre-game information on things like health or strategy reaching bettors before games begin.

As part of this policy, teams will designate one point of communication for players and coaches during the period in which cell phones aren't allowed. It is unclear what the punishment for violating this policy would be at this time, but as the league has chosen now to emphasize a 15-year-old policy, it is a rule the league seemingly plans to enforce strictly.