The Grizzlies were the only team to vote against NBA’s new anti-tanking rules for this selfish reason

Nypost · May 29, 2026 · 410 words · By Erich Richter

NBA Anti-Tanking Rules Memphis Grizzlies Franchise Stability

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What to know about NBA Anti-Tanking Rules

Anti-tanking passed nearly unanimously, but the Memphis Grizzlies were the lone holdouts.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Anti-tanking passed nearly unanimously, but the Memphis Grizzlies were the lone holdouts.

Why it matters

The new rules are proposed to get the NBA’s teams to be more competitive – to stop sitting their top players in an attempt to have a worse record and better chances at landing a top draft pick.

Common ground

The Grizzlies voted against the new “3-2-1” anti-tanking proposal due to the provision prohibiting teams from securing top-five draft picks in three straight seasons, per ESPN.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this NBA Anti-Tanking Rules story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that they played well the year before, finishing 48-34?
How does this story connect NBA Anti-Tanking Rules with Memphis Grizzlies Franchise Stability over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/sports/the-grizzlies-were-the-only-team-to-vote-ag…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 8

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “they played well the year before, finishing 48-34.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the record of 48-34 for the season prior to the 25-57 season.

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Claim 2: “Memphis ended the season with a 25-57 record”

CORROBORATED

Basketball-Reference, FOX Sports, and other news sources all confirm the Memphis Grizzlies finished the season with a 25-57 record.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Grizzlies

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 Memphis Grizzlies season was the 31st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 25th in Memphis. On May 2, 2025, the Grizzlies hired Tuomas Iisalo as their f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_Memphis_Grizzlies_seas…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of seasons completed by the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was founded in 1995 as the Vancouver Grizzlies as one of two franchises that joined …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Memphis_Grizzlies_seas…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Anti-tanking passed nearly unanimously, but the Memphis Grizzlies were the lone holdouts.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (Action News 5, Reddit/Shams report, and another news snippet) confirm the Memphis Grizzlies were the lone team to vote against the anti-tanking rules in a 29-1 vote.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024–25 Memphis Grizzlies season was the 30th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 24th in Memphis. This season would showcase the return of many of Memphis' ke…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024–25_Memphis_Grizzlies_seas…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “When the Grizzlies finally gave up on Jaren Jackson Jr.’s pairing with Ja Morant as playoff contenders earlier this year, they moved their star center in a trade that netted them three first-round picks.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including ESPN's Shams Charania and other sports reports, confirm the Grizzlies traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz for three first-round picks and other players. Wikipedia also confirms JJJ now plays for the Utah Jazz.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jaren Walter Jackson Sr. (born October 27, 1967) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Incarnate Word Cardinals of the Southland Conference. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaren_Jackson

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jaren Walter Jackson Jr. ( JAIR-ən; born September 15, 1999), nicknamed "The Block Panther", and also known by his initials JJJ, is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaren_Jackson_Jr.

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “The worst three records in the NBA previously had a 14 percent chance of the top draft pick, which has been reduced to 5.4 percent with the new rules taking effect immediately.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “Their 2023-24 record was a disappointing 27-55.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the 2023-24 record was 27-55.

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Claim 7: “Memphis had the worst attendance in the NBA last season.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “They will receive the highest pick first-round among the Jazz, Cavaliers and Timberwolves next season”

CORROBORATED

Web search results specifically state that the Grizzlies own the most favorable 2027 first-round pick among the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, and Jazz.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2019–20 Memphis Grizzlies season was the 25th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 19th in Memphis. After the end of the 2018–19 season, and prior to the beginn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019–20_Memphis_Grizzlies_seas…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2020–21 Memphis Grizzlies season was the 26th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 20th in Memphis. The Grizzlies qualified for the playoffs for the first time …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020–21_Memphis_Grizzlies_seas…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “If Utah does have a bottom-five record, due to the new rules their pick would be executed as the sixth overall pick in the draft, despite the Grizzlies owning it.”

CORROBORATED

Web sources explain that under the new rules, the Jazz would be blocked from landing another top-five pick, and specifically that picks they've traded could be affected by these restrictions, aligning with the claim that a pick would be moved to sixth.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Grizzlies voted against the new “3-2-1” anti-tanking proposal due to the provision prohibiting teams from securing top-five draft picks in three straight seasons, per ESPN. NBA Commissioner Adam S…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/29/sports/the-grizzlies-were-the-…

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web search NEUTRAL — But under the new rules, the Jazz would be blocked from landing another top-five pick in the short term. Even picks they’ve traded could be affected by these restrictions. A team doing everything “rig…
https://en.as.com/nba/nbas-new-anti-tanking-rules-could-resh…

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web search NEUTRAL — We should see less flagrant tanking under these rules; these rules would successfully remove many motivations to lose games. But we will also see many other changes to how teams operate. These are sei…
https://allphly.com/nba-tanking-rules-proposal-analysis-pred…

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Claim 10: “Utah will No. 2 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft and also selected Ace Bailey No. 5 overall last season.”

CORROBORATED

Web sources confirm the Utah Jazz selected Ace Bailey No. 5 overall on June 25, 2025, and another source mentions the Jazz's No. 2 draft pick for 2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 Utah Jazz season was the 52nd season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 47th in Salt Lake City, Utah. This marked the first season the team have fully integ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_Utah_Jazz_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Utah Jazz joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) as New Orleans Jazz, an expansion team that played in the 1974–75 season. The Jazz relocated from New Orleans to Salt Lake City, Utah, for th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Utah_Jazz_seasons

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Jazz

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “The Grizzlies voted against the new “3-2-1” anti-tanking proposal due to the provision prohibiting teams from securing top-five draft picks in three straight seasons, per ESPN.”

CORROBORATED

Three separate web sources confirm the '3-2-1' proposal prohibits teams from winning a top-five pick in three consecutive seasons.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · A team cannot win back-to-back lotteries or pick inside the top five for three consecutive drafts. This is a pretty clear push from the league
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48886245/the-pros-cons-n…

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 28, 2026 · The proposal forbids teams from winning the top pick in back-to-back seasons or winning a top-five pick in three consecutive seasons.
https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-draft-lottery-leagu…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · Teams will be prohibited from winning the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years and from winning top-five picks in three consecutive years.
https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2026/05/nbas-board-of-governors-…

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Claim 12: “Morant has dealt with off-court issues, including a suspension”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Ja Morant served a 25-game suspension due to off-court issues.

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web search NEUTRAL — Ja Morant's off-court issues first surfaced during the 2021-22 NBA season when he threatened someone on Twitter. He responded to a troll with a now-deleted tweet: "He's free to see how the hole feels,…
https://www.blogdebasket.com/en/2025/04/08/will-he-ever-lear…

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web search NEUTRAL — Thompson described Morant's on-court comments as "nothing of intelligent depth" and alluded to the off-court issues, suspensions and injuries that have marred Morant's career since he made consecutive…
https://www.tsn.ca/nba/article/mavs-thompson-scoffs-at-moran…

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web search NEUTRAL — Ja Morant has broken the silence on his pending return to the court for the Memphis Grizzlies.“I’ve made a lot of mistakes” – Ja Morant takes accountability for off-court issues that led to a 25-game …
https://www.basketballnetwork.net/latest-news/ja-morant-take…

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Claim 13: “The fourth- to 10th-best records will have an 8.1 percent chance to land the top pick.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.