In 1961, Jacksonville high schooler Ken Norton ran track. At one meet, he entered eight different events. He did so well, it ruined the meet; he placed first in seven of the eight events. So, they put in a new rule: From that point on, no player could ever compete in more than four events.
We remember the Ken Norton Rule today because young Ken went on to great renown — not as a professional track star but as heavyweight champion boxer Ken Norton. His high school career evidently didn’t instill in him a love of running, but the attempts to hobble him did give him the urge to punch someone.
What If a Player Dunks in the 20 Minutes Before the Game?
In any sport, a live ball is a ball that’s in play, while a dead ball is one that’s not. You’re not supposed to handle a dead ball, and in basketball, one specific rule penalizes players who take a dead ball and try to dunk. The rule covers the game itself, the intermission, and even (for completeness’s sake, we guess), the time before the game.
Refs have domain over the court 20 minutes before the scheduled start time. This means that a player will get a technical foul for dunking during those 20 minutes, just when warming up.
The idea that someone dunking for fun before the game has begun should cost them a win is absurd, but it actually happened. In 2014, Kansas State player Brian Rohleder dunked 19 minutes and 58 seconds before the game began. As a result, the refs gave his team a technical foul, which meant the opposing team (the University of Kentucky) received two free throws. When the game started, the score was 2-0, with Kentucky ahead.
The game’s final score? 82 to 80. Kentucky won.
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