Basketball Rules for Team Fouls

Calling fouls is the referees' way of ensuring a basketball game doesn't get too chippy. There are an assortment of offensive and defensive no-nos that will lead to a foul, and each infraction moves the opposing team closer to a chance at shooting free throws. Though referees will call games differently, the infractions themselves are standard. Teams that can draw fouls without committing a lot of them will fare better overall.

  1. Defensive Fouls

    • A foul committed by the defensive team, or the team without the ball, is ruled a defensive foul. This can include a hand check, in which the defensive player hits the ball carrier on the hand; a blocking foul, in which the defender impedes the forward progress of the offensive player; and a holding foul, in which the defensive player grabs his opponent to restrict his movement. If an offensive player is in the act of shooting when the foul is committed, he may shoot two or three free throws. If the original shot goes in, he is granted one free throw. Each foul counts against both the team and the offending player. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), when a player commits six total fouls, he is automatically ejected for the remainder of the game. Technical fouls, given out for unsportsmanlike conduct, are not considered defensive fouls and do not count as such.

    Offensive Fouls

    • There are a limited number of offensive foul calls, but they are still prevalent in basketball. The two main ones are the illegal blocking foul, in which a member of the offensive team interferes in some way with a member of the defensive team; and a charge, which occurs when an offensive player makes contact with a defensive player whose feet are set and is therefore considered to have established position. These fouls result in the offensive team losing possession of the ball, but do not count as team fouls. A team can commit an unlimited number of offensive fouls and not have to worry about them contributing to the opposing team shooting free throws opportunities.

    Team Foul Counts

    • A team is permitted five defensive fouls in a quarter without penalty, as long as only one of them occurs in the final two minutes. The sixth defensive foul, or the second in the final two minutes, sends the opposition to the line for two shots no matter what the circumstance. Each subsequent foul is also worth two foul shots. When the quarter ends, all defensive team fouls are reset to zero (though all players retain their fouls for the duration of the game) and play continues.