Art. 40 5 fouls by a player

40.1. A player who has committed 5 fouls shall be informed by an official and must leave the game immediately. He shall be substituted within 30 seconds.

40.2. A foul by a player who has previously committed 5 fouls is considered as an excluded player’s foul and it is charged and entered on the scoresheet against the coach ('B').



Art. 41 Team fouls: Penalty

41.1. Definition

41.1.1. A team foul is a personal, technical, unsportsmanlike or disqualifying foul committed by a player. A team is in the team foul penalty situation after it has committed 4 team fouls in a quarter.

41.1.2. All team fouls committed in an interval of play shall be considered as being committed in the following quarter or overtime.

41.1.3. All team fouls committed in each overtime shall be considered as being committed in the fourth quarter.

41.2. Rule

41.2.1. When a team is in the team foul penalty situation, all subsequent player personal fouls committed on a player not in the act of shooting shall be penalised by 2 free throws, instead of a throw-in. The player against whom the foul was committed shall attempt the free throws.

41.2.2. If a personal foul is committed by a player of the team in control of the live ball, or of the team entitled to the ball, such a foul shall be penalised by a throw-in for the opponents.

Art. 42 Special situations

42.1. Definition

In the same stopped-clock period which follows an infraction, special situations may arise when additional foul(s) are committed.

42.2. Procedure

42.2.1. All fouls shall be charged and all penalties identified.

42.2.2. The order in which all infractions occurred shall be determined.

42.2.3. All equal penalties against the teams and all double foul penalties shall be cancelled in the order in which they were called. Once the penalties have been recorded and cancelled they are considered as never having occurred.

42.2.4. If a technical foul is called, that penalty shall be administered first, regardless whe-ther the order of the penalties has been determined or whether the administration of the penalties has been started.


42.2.5. The right to possession of the ball as part of the last penalty administered shall cancel any prior rights to possession of the ball.

42.2.6. Once the ball has become live on the first free throw or on a throw-in penalty, that penalty can no longer be used for cancelling any remaining penalties.

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42.2.7. All remaining penalties shall be administered in the order in which they were called.



42.2.8. If, after the cancellation of equal penalties against both teams, there are no other penalties remaining for administration, the game shall be resumed as follows.

If at approximately the same time as the first infraction:

  • A valid field goal or a last free throw is scored, the ball shall be awarded to the non-scoring team for a throw-in at any place behind that team’s endline.

  • A team had control of the ball or was entitled to the ball, the ball shall be awarded to this team for a throw-in at the place nearest to the first infraction.

  • Neither team had control of the ball nor was entitled to the ball, a jump ball situation occurs.

Art. 43 Free throws

43.1. Definition

43.1.1. A free throw is an opportunity given to a player to score 1 point, uncontested, from a position behind the free-throw line and inside the semi-circle.

43.1.2. A set of free throws is defined as all free throws and possible subsequent possession of the ball resulting from a single foul penalty.

43.2. Rule


43.2.1. When a personal, an unsportsmanlike or a disqualifying contact foul is called, the free throw(s) shall be awarded as follows:

  • The player against whom the foul was committed shall attempt the free throw(s).

  • If there is a request for him to be substituted, he must attempt the free throw(s) before leaving the game.

  • If he must leave the game due to injury, having committed 5 fouls or having been disqualified, his substitute shall attempt the free throw(s). If no substitute is available, any team-mate as designated by his coach shall attempt the free throw(s).

43.2.2. When a technical or a disqualifying non-contact foul is called, any member of the opponents’ team as designated by his coach shall attempt the free throw(s).

43.2.3. The free-throw shooter shall:

  • Take a position behind the free-throw line and inside the semi-circle.

  • Use any method to shoot a free throw in such a way that the ball enters the basket from above or the ball touches the ring.

  • Release the ball within 5 seconds after it is placed at his disposal by the official.

  • Not touch the free-throw line or enter the restricted area until the ball has entered the basket or has touched the ring.

  • Not fake a free throw.

43.2.4. The players in the free-throw rebound places shall be entitled to occupy alternating positions in these spaces, which are considered to be 1 m in depth (Diagram 6).

During the free throws these players shall not:

  • Occupy free-throw rebound places to which they are not entitled.

  • Enter the restricted area, the neutral zone or leave the free-throw rebound place until the ball has left the hand(s) of the free-throw shooter.

  • Distract the free-throw shooter by their actions.

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Diagram 6 Players' positions during free throws

43.2.5. Players not in the free-throw rebound places shall remain behind the free-throw line extended and behind the 3-point field goal line until the free throw ends.

43.2.6. During a free throw(s) to be followed by another set(s) of free throws or by a throw-in, all players shall remain behind the free-throw line extended and behind the 3-point field goal line.

An infraction of Art. 43.2.3, 43.2.4, 43.2.5 and 43.2.6 is a violation.


43.3. Penalty

43.3.1. If a free throw is successful and the violation(s) is committed by the free-throw shooter, the point, if made, shall not count.

The ball shall be awarded to the opponents for a throw-in at the free-throw line exten-ded, unless there is a further free throw(s) or possession penalty to be administered.

43.3.2. If a free throw is successful and the violation(s) is committed by any player(s) other than the free-throw shooter:

  • The point shall count.

  • The violation(s) shall be disregarded.

In case of the last free throw, the ball shall be awarded to the opponents for a throw-in at any place behind that team’s endline.

43.3.3. If a free throw is not successful and the violation is committed by:

  • A free-throw shooter or his team-mate on the last free throw, the ball shall be awarded to the opponents for a throw-in at the free-throw line extended unless that team is entitled to further possession.

  • An opponent of the free-throw shooter, a substitute free throw shall be awarded to the free-throw shooter.

  • Both teams, on the last free throw, a jump ball situation occurs.


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Art. 44 Correctable errors


44.1. Definition

Officials may correct an error if a rule is inadvertently disregarded in the following situations only:

  • Awarding an unmerited free throw(s).

  • Failure to award a merited free throw(s).

  • Erroneous awarding or cancelling of a point(s).

  • Permitting the wrong player to attempt a free throw(s).

44.2. General procedure

44.2.1. To be correctable the above-mentioned errors must be recognized by the officials, commissioner, if present, or table officials before the ball becomes live following the first dead ball after the game clock has started following the error.

44.2.2. An official may stop the game immediately upon recognition of a correctable error, as long as neither team is placed at a disadvantage.

44.2.3. Any fouls committed, points scored, time used and additional activity which may have occurred after the error has occurred and before its recognition, shall remain valid.

44.2.4. After the correction of the error the game shall be resumed at the point it was stopped to correct the error, unless otherwise stated in these rules. The ball shall be awarded to the team entitled to the ball at the time the game was stopped for the correction of the error.

44.2.5. Once an error that is still correctable has been recognised, and:

  • The player involved in the correction of the error is on the team bench after being legally substituted, he must re-enter the playing court to participate in the correc-tion of the error, at which point he becomes a player.
Upon completion of the correction, he may remain in the game unless a legal substitution has been requested again, in which case the player may leave the playing court.

  • The player was substituted due to his injury, having committed 5 fouls or having been disqualified, his substitute must participate in the correction of the error.

44.2.6. Correctable errors cannot be corrected after the crew chief has signed the score-sheet.

44.2.7. An error in scorekeeping, time-keeping or shot clock operations involving the score, number of fouls, number of time-outs, game clock and shot clock time consumed or omitted, may be corrected by the officials at any time before the crew chief has signed the scoresheet.

44.3. Special procedure

44.3.1. Awarding an unmerited free throw(s).

The free throw(s) attempted as a result of the error shall be cancelled and the game shall be resumed as follows:

  • If the game clock has not started, the ball shall be awarded for a throw-in at the free-throw line extended to the team whose free throws had been cancelled.



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  • If the game clock has started and:


    • The team in control of the ball or entitled to the ball at the time the error is recognised is the same team that was in control of the ball at the time the error occurred, or

    • Neither team is in control of the ball at the time the error is recognised,

the ball shall be awarded to the team entitled to the ball at the time of the error.

  • If the game clock has started and, at the time the error is recognised, the team in control of the ball or entitled to the ball is the opponent of the team that was in control of the ball at the time of the error, a jump ball situation occurs.

  • If the game clock has started and, at the time the error is recognised, a foul penalty involving a free throw(s) has been awarded, the free throw(s) shall be administered and the ball shall be awarded for a throw-in to the team that was in control of the ball at the time the error occurred.

44.3.2. Failure to award a merited free throw(s).

  • If there has been no change in possession of the ball after the error occurred, the game shall be resumed after correction of the error as after any normal free throw.

  • If the same team scores after having been erroneously awarded possession of the ball for a throw-in, the error shall be disregarded.

44.3.3. Permitting the wrong player to attempt a free throw(s).

The free throw(s) attempted, and the possession of the ball if part of the penalty, shall be cancelled and the ball shall be awarded to the opponents for a throw-in at the free-throw line extended, unless penalties for further infractions are to be administered.