The NBA has rules to make the game more exciting and civilized. Each player and NBA team must abide by these rules, or else there would be consequences. NBA players or coaches that forgot to comply with rules will get personal or technical fouls from the basketball referees.
Fouls are a burden to a team especially if the star player of an NBA team has foul trouble. Sometimes fouls can be frustrating, but sometimes it is used for a strategy to avoid easy baskets for Centers inside or to avoid shooters to shoot outside the three-point line.
Every basketball player is required to watch themselves from committing fouls and they must know how many fouls they have committed to avoid being fouled out. Today, we are going to talk about how many fouls are foul out in the NBA. I will give you an in-depth understanding of this and add some useful information about fouls as well.
What Are Foul And What Are The Different Types Of Fouls?
To make it simple, fouls in basketball occur as a result of illegal personal contact with the opposing players. Fouls can also be unsportsmanlike behavior, and committing fouls can result in some penalties like free-throws or losing possession of the ball.
In the NBA, they have stated in their rulebook about fouls which most basketball leagues around the world use. This is the quote from the rulebook:
“A player shall not hold, push, charge into, impede the progress of an opponent by extending a hand, arm, leg, or knee or by bending the body into a position that is not normal. Contact that results in the re-routing of an opponent is a foul which must be called immediately.”
Basketball referees around the world in different leagues are the ones who decide if the play was a foul. They call different kinds of fouls in different kinds of scenarios. Sometimes, basketball referees call a wrong foul, which makes fans angry, and they are most likely to complain and yell “boo”. Let’s take a look at some types of fouls so that the next time you watch a basketball game, you will know if the refs made a good call for a foul.
Personal Foul
Personal fouls are the most common kind of foul to be called inside the basketball court. It has less serious penalties when committed. Committing a personal foul can lead to loss of possession of the ball or a trip to the foul line. Personal fouls some common examples are holding, blocking, charge, elbowing, tripping, and holding.
Flagrant Foul
A flagrant foul is like the highest degree of personal foul because it involves more excessive force and movements. Some players can commit a flagrant foul by intentionally hurting the opposing player out of frustration or if they accidentally commit a grievous physical contact foul to the opposing player. A flagrant foul has severe penalties than a personal foul. Committing a flagrant foul can result in ejection from the game, foul shots with extra possession, and it can lead to suspension and monetary fines.
Technical Foul
Another type of foul is the technical foul. Committing a technical foul does not need physical contact. A technical foul can be committed by doing some unsportsmanlike conduct or showing a negative attitude to the refs like, shouting at them or cursing them. A technical foul can lead to suspension, monetary fines, and the worst thing that might happen is being banned from playing.
What Is Foul Out In NBA?
A foul out is one of the worst penalties a player can have because of committing fouls. Basketball players can be foul out if they reach the limit of personal fouls for the game. Players who are fouled out are out of the ball game and cannot participate in the remaining time of the basketball game.
How Many Fouls To Foul Out In The NBA?
In the NBA, a player can be fouled if they commit six fouls in the game. The fouls committed should be personal fouls, and it can be accidentally or intentionally. However, in college basketball, the number of fouls before fouling out is five. It is because the duration of one game in college basketball is only forty minutes.
NBA Fouls Records And History
While I am researching fouls in basketball, something came up to my mind to add some interesting stats when it comes to fouls in the NBA. These are funny stories and the most embarrassing incident for the NBA players who are listed below.
Quickest Foul Out In NBA History: 3 Minutes
If you think you read that wrong, then you are wrong. The quickest foul out in NBA history is three minutes only, and that is so embarrassing. Charles “Bubba” Wells holds the record for this. He was a former Dallas Maverick player under coach Don Nelson. Dallas faced the Chicago Bulls that time when Wells got the record. He was tasked by coach Don Nelson to foul Rodman to send Rodman to the foul line to stop the Bulls’ offensive run. They use this strategy to Rodman because they knew that Rodman is a bad free-throw shooter.
Most Fouls In NBA History
The Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who holds the All-time scoring leader record in the NBA, also holds the most personal fouls committed in his whole NBA career. He had a total of 4,657 personal fouls committed during the course of his career. However, other NBA players committed too many personal fouls who are worth being on the spot. The top ten NBA players are:
- Karl Malone – 4,578 fouls
- Artis Gilmore – 4,529 fouls
- Robert Parish – 4,443 fouls
- Caldwell Jones – 4,436 fouls
- Charles Oakley – 4,421 fouls
- Hakeem Olajuwon – 4,383 fouls
- Buck Williams – 4,267 fouls
- Elvin Hayes – 4,193 fouls
- Clifford Robinson – 4,175 fouls
- Kevin Willis – 4,172 fouls
Most players included in the list are big men, which means that the game of basketball is contact and physical game. This also means that centers and power forwards are more prone to commit fouls because they are the ones who defend the rim mostly.
Also, It is surprising to see Karl Malone and Kareem at the top of the list. These two are the NBA Hall of Famers who is not only included for most career points made by NBA players, but they are also included in the most fouls committed by an NBA player. This means that these two players are very competitive offensively and defensively.
Final Words
Fouls have an essential role in one basketball game. They are used by the referees to make the basketball players avoid committing unsportsmanlike acts and to make the game more in order. However, some basketball coaches use to call fouls as a personal attack on the basketball players they do not like. That is why a fan like you should know what the fouls and regulations in basketball are so that you can easily spot if the refs are committing bad calls.
What is the average count of fouls you commit in one basketball game? Are you always getting scolded by the refs? Comment your answers in the comments section below!
