<P> Chris Morris , a former NBA star with the New Jersey Nets , shattered a backboard during a game in 1993 ; Jerome Lane shattered a backboard during a game in 1988 while playing for the University of Pittsburgh ; Blue Edwards shattered a backboard during a Midnight Madness event while he was playing at East Carolina . Bryant Reeves shattered a backboard during team practice / warm - ups prior to their 1995 NCAA tourney game against UCLA . Following the 1992 -- 93 season the NBA increased steel brace strength and increased stability of the backboard to prevent the hoop from falling down after Shaquille O'Neal broke two goal standards the previous season ( although the glass remained intact , welds in the goal standard failed ) . The aforementioned technical foul was also introduced at the time . During the NCAA tournament in 1996 , Darvin Ham shattered a backboard while playing for Texas Tech against North Carolina . Robert Traylor , while playing for the Michigan Wolverines , shattered a backboard against the Ball State Cardinals in 1996 . In 2012 , during a preseason exhibition game held in Sassari , Italy , Olympiacos starter and former NBA player Joey Dorsey ended up breaking the glass of a backboard against Dinamo Sassari . </P>
when was the last time an nba backboard broken
2012 , during a preseason exhibition game held in Sassari , Italy