The tuck rule: Chris Paul has players, officials paying more attention to untucked jerseys

The Memphis Grizzlies had just blown a 24-point lead to the Thunder. You’d expect a locker room full of dejection, but professional players are more resilient than you think. The conversation shifted quickly to another topic of interest, a single sequence the Grizzlies thought wasn’t fair.

With 3:47 left in the third quarter, Thunder forward Abdel Nader went to the scorer’s table with his shirt half tucked in and wasn’t docked with a delay of game penalty.

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A group of Grizzlies players not to be named were incredulous. After the game, the Memphis players went on about the missed infraction, which was funny since a couple of weeks earlier few players gave the rule much thought at all.

They aren’t the only ones. Chris Paul isn’t untucking jerseys around the league, but he’s brought attention to a seldom-called violation that has NBA locker rooms either buzzing or furious, and sometimes both.

When the Thunder beat Minnesota 139-127 on Dec. 6, it was in large part because Paul alerted the officials to the untucked jersey of Jordan Bell. It was the Timberwolves’ second delay of game penalty. Without the heads-up play by Paul, Danilo Gallinari wouldn’t have received a technical foul free throw, and the Thunder wouldn’t have been able to send the game to overtime following Dennis Schroder’s game-tying layup at the regulation buzzer.

After the game, head official Scott Foster was asked about the delay of game by a pool reporter. Foster didn’t acknowledge Paul’s contribution, instead saying that he and official Mark Ayotte saw Bell coming onto the court without his jersey tucked in.

Chris Paul bestie Scott Foster giving CP zero credit for calling out the Jordan Bell delay of game.

Foster to pool reporter: “Mark and I saw him coming into the court without his shirt tucked in.” pic.twitter.com/7iPkhh3uqt

— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) December 7, 2019

The rest of the league doesn’t see the increase in delay of game calls for untucked jerseys as a referee crackdown. Instead, Paul gets credit — or blame — for shining a light on a previously uncalled infraction that officials were lenient about until three weeks ago.

Even if Foster didn’t give Paul credit, at least one other official has since that wild Thunder win. In a Nuggets-Knicks game on Dec. 15, Knicks guard Elfrid Payton was called for a delay of game for having his shirt untucked. Official Tony Brothers told him he could “thank Chris Paul.”

Elfrid Payton gets delay of game for entering game with untucked jersey, ref tells him to thank Chris Paul. pic.twitter.com/qbWUnJyxNJ

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 16, 2019

Once video of the sequence went viral, there was no more denying the power of Paul. Players started paying attention to a rule they didn’t even know was a rule.

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It’s right there in the NBA rule book to see. Rule No. 12 A., Section II a. (9) says “A delay-of-game shall be called for a player entering the game when beckoned by an official with his shirt untucked.”

“It was overlooked,” Thunder center Steven Adams said. “I don’t think a lot of players or people have read the rule book. I hadn’t seen it ever until he brought it up. I didn’t even think it was a thing until he brought it up.

“I think he (Paul) brought it up and they made it a point of emphasis. Fair enough. You have to stick by the rules.”

Players often come to the scorer’s table with their jersey untucked and start tucking it in as they are stepping onto the court. The jersey is supposed to be tucked in fully before a player enters the game. Paul even begins every game with his jersey untucked, walks to the stanchion, bounces his back off of it three times, then tucks the jersey in before tipoff.

Before Paul went through his pregame ritual in Portland on Dec. 8, however, official Brian Forte made a point to tell Paul to tuck his jersey in.

Many players know it’s a rule, but don’t know the consequences. Bulls rookie Coby White said he knew that you were required to have your jersey tucked in, but didn’t know that a second delay of game violation resulted in a technical foul and a free throw.

“I just thought you get a warning or something before a tech,” White said.

“I just know now to tuck my jersey in before I come into the game. As long as your jersey is tucked in you don’t pay that much attention to it.”

The problem for the Grizzlies wasn’t that Nader got away with having his jersey untucked. The problem was during the same stoppage, the Grizzlies were docked for a delay of game for what they thought was the same violation Nader was committing.

The players want consistency. So do the coaches.

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“We’ve got to do a better job as a staff of maybe helping those guys when they go up there, but as long as they’re calling it consistently across the board that’s it,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. “There are things they emphasize and focus on, but if that’s the rule, you have to anticipate they’re going to enforce the rule.”

“You can’t just do it one game then not do it,” Adams said. “… but that’s how it is.”

Bulls guard Zach LaVine said the Thunder-Timberwolves game made players more aware of stepping on the court correctly.

“OKC made a good comeback and obviously made the plays to win the game, but I feel like it was an unforced technical foul they (Minnesota) caused on themselves,” LaVine said. “I think you’re just not supposed to give away points.

“If it’s something we can do to stop it, by tucking in our jerseys, that’s an easy one.”

Another conversation being had is that Paul is playing dirty pool by bringing attention to the most minute of infractions. The word “snitch” has even been thrown around on social media.

Paul’s clearly not worried about his reputation or the conversation around his taking advantage of the rules (or the conversation around his crafty use of the rip-through move). Paul responded to the Tony Brothers “thank, Chris Paul” video posted on Instagram with laughing and shrug emojis.

“At the end of the day, everybody is trying to win the game,” White said. “Whether you consider him a snitch or not, Oklahoma won a game and that was a big part of why they won it.”

“I don’t think he gives a damn what the community thinks,” LaVine said. “They won a game because he called out a play that helped them win.

“I’ve known Chris Paul for a while, man. He’s the ultimate competitor. He doesn’t care if his best friend’s on the court. He’s gonna try to kill ’em.”

It was inevitable that the attention Paul brought to the jerseys would find its way back to Oklahoma City.

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The Thunder were on their way to beating the Suns on Friday when Donovan sent Deonte Burton to check in. Burton unzipped his warm-up top to reveal an untucked jersey and Donovan instinctively yelled to the second-year player.

If the officiating crew didn’t realize it already, Burton’s untucked jersey was brought to their attention by Donovan.

Whistle. Delay of game.

“I tried to grab him before he stepped across the line,” Donovan said. “If he would have walked out there, they wouldn’t have noticed, then he could have slowly tucked his shirt in.

“I felt bad for him.”

Donovan said when he was coaching in college, officials wouldn’t give players delay of game penalties. Instead, they’d only tell players to tuck their jerseys in. With the league trying to keep viewers engaged, more stoppages mean a greater likelihood that people watching at home tune out.

“I think what’s happening right now is for pace of play and speed of play, that’s been kind of a focus,” Donovan said.

The rule came into focus more thanks to Paul.

“Tell you what mate, I think a lot of the players are looking quite sharp when they’re subbing in, aren’t they?” Adams said of the effect of Paul’s callout. “All tucked in, getting ready.

“It’s just bloody tucking in your shirt. It’s not a big deal. Just tuck in your shirt. It’s not the end of the world.”

(Photo of Paul: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)

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