Steph Curry gets four-point play after defender hits his hand under NBA’s new “high-five” rule [VIDEO]

New rule bans defenders from slapping shooters’ hands after release — and Steph Curry just showed why it changes everything

The NBA’s 2025–26 season hasn’t even officially tipped off yet. However, a single preseason clip from Golden State’s Steph Curry is already shaking up basketball Twitter — and possibly the league itself.

The reason? A brand-new rule that changes how referees whistle contact on jump shots. It’s being dubbed the “high-five” rule. After seeing Curry turn it into a four-point play during the Warriors’ preseason matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, fans are convinced the NBA may have just made the best shooter ever literally unguardable. For over a decade, he’s already been close to impossible to guard.

The Rule: No More “High-Fives” After The Shot

Under the NBA’s updated points of emphasis, defenders are no longer allowed to slap a shooter’s hand, wrist, or arm after the ball has left the shooter’s hand — a gesture often referred to as a “high-five.”

It’s been technically illegal for years, but enforcement was rare. Now, any post-release contact that disrupts the follow-through is a foul. This is even if the shot goes in. It’s designed to protect shooters’ hands — especially stars like Curry, who has been repeatedly targeted by defenders trying to “tap” his release to throw off rhythm.

In other words, that last-second swipe that coaches used to teach as “good hustle”? It’s gone.

Curry Shows How It Works — and Why It’s Devastating

The clip comes from an NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast of the Warriors’ preseason win over Portland on last night (October 8).

Curry catches the ball off a high screen, takes one dribble, and rises for a three from the left wing. As the ball arcs toward the rim, Trail Blazers defender Toumani Camara lunges late — missing the ball but swiping Curry’s wrist on the way down.

The shot splashes through the net. The whistle blows.

Curry turns to the official, pointing at his hand as Chase Center erupts. “That’s the new one,” color analyst Jim Barnett explains on the broadcast. “They’re not letting you whack the shooter’s hand after the release this year. They’re looking for that secondary swipe.”

Result: a made three, a free throw, and one big preview of what’s coming for the rest of the league.

A Rule Tailor-Made for Shooters

While the NBA insists the rule isn’t about individual players, it might as well have Curry’s name on it.

At 37, Steph remains one of the game’s most efficient scorers, averaging 26.4 points on 40.8% from deep last season — despite absorbing more post-release hacks than almost any other guard in the league.

Those “secondary swipes” rarely earned a whistle in the past. But now, they do.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr — a vocal supporter of the change — praised the new emphasis this week, saying it finally protects shooters’ follow-throughs from cheap contact.

“They’re not allowing as much contact,” Kerr said. “The shooter can finally finish the motion. For years, guys were hammering Steph’s arm on purpose. It’s a good change for the game — and for him.”

Teammate Buddy Hield added with a grin, “Hopefully, you’ll see him get one or two extra calls a night.”

That might not sound like much, but one or two extra fouls a night could add up fast — bumping Curry’s scoring average to the 28–30 PPG range.

The Science of the Swipe

In practice, the “high-five” foul comes down to fractions of a second. NBA refs have been trained during preseason to spot what they call “secondary motion” — contact occurring after the shooter’s wrist snaps forward.

Under old rules, incidental brushes were ignored if they didn’t alter the shot’s flight. Now, that same slap gets called as a defensive foul, and if the shot drops, it’s a potential four-point play.

That tiny distinction makes a massive difference for elite shooters who rely on rhythm and touch. For Curry, whose release is the quickest in NBA history (recorded at roughly 0.4 seconds), defenders barely have time to contest, let alone avoid the hand.

The result? A near-impossible defensive assignment.

What The Numbers Say

According to internal analytics shared during referee meetings, Curry drew contact on 2–3 uncalled “secondary” swipes per game last season — often resulting in missed shots or minor hand injuries.

With the new rule, analysts project:

That bump in whistles might not sound huge, but when you apply it league-wide, it shifts the offensive balance. With teams already averaging nearly 40 three-point attempts per night, even a 10% uptick in shooting fouls means more scoring and longer games — and, for stars like Curry, cleaner mechanics.

“The League Just Made Steph Unstoppable”

That’s the sentiment dominating X (formerly Twitter), where clips of the foul have gone viral since last night.

The original post by @DrGuru_ racked up over 680,000 views and 7,700 likes within hours, while NBC Sports Bay Area’s repost drew another 2,000+ likes.

“Im ngl if they actually enforce this, Steph might drop 30 a game,” one user wrote, echoing the league-wide reaction.

Another added: “You know they don’t call that for Steph though lol,” poking fun at ref inconsistency.

Even non-Warriors fans weighed in: “This rule change is about to make life hell for defenders. You literally can’t touch him anymore.”

Memes flooded the replies — from Curry “high-fiving” ghosts to mock diagrams labeling his follow-through as “untouchable territory.”

Not Everyone’s Celebrating

Of course, not everyone’s on board.

Some players and analysts worry the rule will slow games down and further favor offense in a league already tilted toward shooters. Critics like ESPN’s Zach Lowe have called it “the softest era yet,” arguing that defenders are being stripped of realistic tools to contest without fouling.

Others simply question enforcement consistency. “Refs are human,” one coach told The Athletic. “If they don’t call it for LeBron or Tatum, why would they call it for Steph every time?”

Even some fans sympathized with defenders. “What are they supposed to do?” one user asked. “Steph shoots in half a second. You contest, and suddenly it’s a foul. Ridiculous.”

Still, the league’s stance is firm: post-shot contact is unnecessary and dangerous. “This is illegal contact,” NBA VP of Referee Development Monty McCutchen said at the preseason officiating summit. “A defensive foul will be called this season. Period.”

Kerr’s Quiet Victory

Behind the scenes, sources say Steve Kerr has pushed this rule for years, citing the accumulation of hand and wrist injuries suffered by Curry and Klay Thompson.

Back in 2023, Curry injured his thumb twice in similar incidents that were ruled clean. Those plays reportedly reignited Kerr’s lobbying campaign with the NBA Coaches Association, leading to this year’s official enforcement memo.

“This is a win for shooters everywhere,” Kerr said after the preseason game. “We’ve been asking for it. The fans want to see great shots — not wrists getting slapped.”