The NBA’s Board of Governors has officially approved a new draft lottery reform proposal designed to combat tanking across the league.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the league’s “3-2-1” draft lottery reform plan will move forward as expected following the board’s approval.
The new anti-tanking rules represent a significant shift in how the NBA will conduct its annual draft lottery process going forward.
Charania reported the changes via Twitter, confirming that the reform proposal had cleared the necessary approval stage within the league’s governance structure.
The plan will not take immediate effect, with the NBA confirming the new lottery system is scheduled to begin in 2027.
The “3-2-1” label refers to the specific structure of the reformed lottery system that the league has been developing and pushing forward.
Anti-tanking measures have been a long-discussed topic within the NBA, and this approval marks a concrete step toward addressing those concerns.
The Board of Governors serves as the NBA’s primary decision-making body, meaning the approval carries the full institutional weight of the league behind it.
Teams across the league will now have time to understand and adjust their strategies ahead of the 2027 implementation date.
The reform plan’s progression through the league’s approval process signals that the NBA is serious about changing the competitive incentives tied to draft positioning.
