Does the NBA Use Magnets?

For many years now, NBA fans and theorists around the world have wondered whether or not the NBA is scripted or rigged. For many fans, both casual and avid alike, the sheer improbability of so many shots taken by NBA players can only be proven by a rigged system.

And for many of these theorists, the belief is that the NBA utilizes magnets, strategically placed alongside the basketball rim, hoop, and ball, allowing for otherwise improbable shots to fall in.

Below, we are going to discuss just whether or not the NBA uses magnets to rig the game and how doing so would be advantageous to the league.

What is the Theory?

A long held belief and suspicion of many NBA fans is that the NBA utilizes magnets, strategically placed within the basketball and basketball hoop and rim to ensure otherwise improbable shots fall neatly into the basket.

This theory posits that the NBA and its league of franchise teams utilize magnets to alter the otherwise honest play of individual basketball players on the court.

For these theorists, the NBA, its league of franchise teams, and its personnel and basketball athletes, are all aligned in the system, hoping to capitalize on drama and sudden shifts of momentum in the game.

Similarly, these theorists would argue, that by placing magnets strategically within the basketball, basketball hoop, and basketball rim, the NBA is better able to control the overarching narrative, providing unsuspecting fans with the drama and last-second nail-biters they so often look forward to.

Has the Theory Ever Been Proven?

Ultimately, when a theory is posited, the onus of proof rests on the theorists to provide specific examples and proof of the theory. And to date, no actual proof has ever been presented which would show, without a shadow of doubt, that the NBA utilizes magnets within the game balls and hoops to alter the game.

For these theorists, the NBA is a for-profit organization, looking to capitalize on fan loyalty and momentum in each game.

As such, the NBA will go to great lengths to ensure that the fans receive the drama, dramatic endings, and Cinderella storylines they so long for.

However, there has never been a recorded instance or concrete, established evidence to show that the NBA utilizes magnets within the game.

Rather, and in actuality, the NBA strives to be as honest and as transparent as possible within the games, looking to allow NBA players to perform their best, day-in and day-out and allowing the outcome of each game to be determined by the better team of the day.

Why Would the NBA Utilize Magnets?

If the theory were, in fact, true, the reason the NBA and its league of franchise teams would use magnets is to alter, ever so slightly, the trajectory and movement of the basketball to either allow or impeded the basketball from entering the basket.

And in doing so, the NBA would be better able to control the overall narrative of the league and of the season, in essence deciding which team and which players will be destined for NBA greatness and which ones will do poorly.

Why Doesn’t the NBA Use Magnets?

While for other sports leagues which are scripted, determining the outcome of the games helps to ensure a certain level of engagement from fans and helps to avoid serious injury, the NBA has opted, since its inception, to not be scripted, pre-planned, or interfered with in any manner.

If the NBA were to have utilized magnets within the basketball and the basketball hoop and rim, the subsequent fallout would be immense. A loss of trust between the league and its fans would, in essence, bankrupt the organization.

Fans, loyal to the NBA and with the belief in an honest, non-altered game, would quickly lose trust in the game and would leave in droves.

For this simple fact alone, the NBA would never risk the legitimacy of the league.

There’s simply too much at stake.

The NBA would be decimated and a new league, built on honesty, trust, and transparency would need to be formed.

And in addition to the financial loss that would incur, there would likely be federal charges involved. These federal charges would look to go after each individual who had knowledge of the scheme and each individual who helped to enact the plan.

Has There Ever Been an NBA Rigging Scandal?

While the NBA is not scripted nor is it pre-planned nor are there the use of magnets within the game, there has been one notable controversy surrounding an NBA referee attempting to manipulate the outcome of the game.

Dubbed the ‘2007 NBA betting scandal’, it involved the NBA accusing a referee, Tim Donaghy, of using his knowledge and relationships between other referees, players, coaches, and owners to bet on NBA games.

The accusations by the NBA were eventually admitted by Donaghy and he would plead guilty to two federal charges in relation to the investigation. This admittance led to a 15 month sentencing with three years of supervised release.

Should the NBA Use Magnets?

While, for many of us die-hard NBA fans, watching year-after-year our favorite team lose and play poorly, the idea of enacting magnets to assist poorly performing teams is definitely one that would be slightly welcomed.

However, the NBA should never utilize nor enact the use of magnets within the field of play. Doing so will take away the allure and splendor of the game and its brutal honesty.

And although watching your team lose and play poorly can be disheartening, the losses and wins are simply part of the game. It is what attracts us fans and keeps us coming back, season-after-season.

A scripted, magnetically utilized league would take that allure and thrill out of the game and make for, quite frankly, a boring one.