BNXT League Drama: Kortrijk Protests After TV Timecode Disallows Buzzer-Beater

A highly unusual incident has shaken the BNXT League as Kortrijk Spurs thought they had secured a dramatic victory against the Antwerp Giants with an incredible half-court buzzer-beater at the end of overtime. However, the basket was disallowed in a highly unconventional manner after the referees used TV broadcast timecodes to calculate how much time had elapsed during the play.

The drama unfolded at the end of the first overtime period. Kortrijk's Jamarii Thomas tied the game at 93-93 with just 0.6 seconds left on the clock. On Antwerp's subsequent inbound play, Amin Adamu stole the ball and launched a half-court shot that went in as the buzzer sounded. While Kortrijk celebrated what they thought was a game-winning shot, it soon became clear that the timekeeper had failed to start the game clock, leaving it frozen at 0.6 seconds throughout the sequence.

Video Review and Controversy

Referees turned to instant replay to determine whether Adamu had released the ball in time. Since the arena clock offered no answers, they examined television footage and used the broadcast timecode to calculate that 0.68 seconds had passed from the moment Adamu secured the ball until his release. This meant the play took eight hundredths of a second longer than the remaining time, resulting in the basket being waved off.

Reports in Belgium noted that the decision was made based on video footage and a difference of mere fractions of a second. The score reverted to 93-93, forcing a second overtime where Antwerp seized control to win 113-106. Nigel Pack led the winners with 20 points, while Enoch Boakye added 18. Shortly after the final whistle, Kortrijk announced they had filed an official protest over the disallowed basket.

FIBA Regulations Under Scrutiny

The debate now centers on the methodology used to calculate the elapsed time. New FIBA regulations, which came into effect on October 1, do allow referees to use instant replay systems during clock malfunctions to determine necessary corrections. Furthermore, the rules state that errors in starting or stopping the clock can be corrected by adding or subtracting the required time.

"The league management must now decide whether the unusual calculation performed by the referees was a legitimate use of video technology or if Kortrijk was unfairly robbed of one of the wildest game-winning shots in recent memory."

However, the rulebook does not specify a precise method of calculating time via frame differences or broadcast timecodes—and this exact ambiguity lies at the heart of the dispute. According to FIBA laws, the video system is supposed to provide referees with clear and conclusive visual evidence to overturn a call, leaving league officials with a complex ruling ahead.