Technical Foul - Infractions

Infractions

Many infractions can result in the calling of a technical foul. One of the most common is the use of profane language toward an official or another player. This can be called on either players who are currently active in the play of the game, or seated on a team's bench. It can also be assessed to a coach or another person associated with the team in an official capacity such as a trainer or an equipment manager. Additionally, coaches or players can be assessed a technical foul for disputing an official's call too vehemently, whether or not profanity is involved. This verbal unsporting technical foul may be assessed while the ball is dead or while it is alive.

Other offenses can result in technical fouls, such as:

  • Allowing players to lock arms in order to restrict the movement of an opponent (usually a team technical)
  • Baiting or taunting an opponent
  • Disrespectfully addressing or contacting an official or gesturing in such a manner as to indicate resentment
  • Faking being fouled (flopping)
  • Fighting or threatening to fight
  • Goaltending a free throw
  • Grasping either basket during pre-game or halftime warm-ups during the time of the officials' jurisdiction, including attempting to dunk or stuff a dead ball (whether successful or not) prior to or during the game or during any intermission of the game
  • Illegal substitution or entering the game at an impermissible time
  • Intentionally hanging on the basket at any time (except to prevent an injury)
  • Kicking or striking the basketball at any time using the foot (in an unsportsmanlike manner; unintentional kicking is a violation only)
  • Knowingly attempting a free throw or accepting a foul to which the player was not entitled
  • Lifting or jumping onto a teammate to gain a height advantage
  • Remaining out of bounds to gain an advantage
  • Removing the jersey or pants within the visual confines of the playing area
  • Use of television monitoring or replay equipment, computers, or electronics such as megaphones for coaching purposes during the game
  • Using tobacco or smokeless tobacco

Violations of the rules for delaying the game (in the NBA, NCAA, and NFHS usually incur a team warning for a first offense, followed by a team technical, or sometimes a player technical, if the same team delays a second time, to include:

  • Going out of bounds during an opponents' throw-in without contact (warning, then a technical foul), or touching an opposing thrower-in (intentional foul on the violator in NFHS, and is the warning for being out-of-bounds) or the ball (a technical on the offender in NFHS, and is the warning for being out-of-bounds) as it is held entirely in out-of-bounds
  • Huddling at the foul line for an excessive time (warning, then a technical in NFHS)
  • Not being ready to start play after a time-out, or to begin a quarter or half, or to shoot a free throw(s) at such times (a special protocol, known as the "resumption-of-play procedure", is used in NFHS, where violations instead of technicals are initially called in some such situations)
  • Refusing to immediately pass the ball to the nearer official when a whistle blows
  • Failing as the free thrower to be in the free-throw semicircle when the official is ready to administer the free throw (unless the resumption-of-play procedure is in effect in NFHS, supra)
  • Throwing the ball into the stands or otherwise prevent a ball from being made live promptly after a made goal to allow one's team to set up on defense (if a blatantly unsportsmanlike act, a technical foul against the player; otherwise, a warning to that team and team technicals thereafter). This includes throwing the ball to an official when such act is not required- such would likely incur a warning.

and more technical issues, such as:

  • Beginning the game with a starting player not so designated
  • Failure to supply the scorer with names and numbers of team players prior to the start of the scheduled contest, or at least 10 minutes prior to the contest in some jurisdictions
  • Having too many players on the court, or too few (NBA; NCAA and NFHS if intentional)
  • If the coach leaves his box, especially to argue. There are times when a coach may go to the scorer's table to correct a game error.
  • Failing, as the coach, to replace a disqualified player within the allotted time (charged to the coach)
  • (NBA only) playing a "scratched" player (a rule adopted in 2005 where up to two "scratches" are permissible on a 14-man roster)
  • Refusing to occupy the proper bench
  • Remaining in or returning to the game after being disqualified
    • In the NBA, a player may not be ejected if assessed a seventh or subsequent personal foul because of being forced to remain in the game because there are no eligible players on the bench. Each such extra personal foul, though, also includes a technical foul penalty.
  • Requesting an excess time-out
  • Uniform violations, including illegal insignia or numbers; having 2 or more players with the same number; or having the wrong number for a player in the official scorebook

Until 2001, the NBA also had a unique rule, the illegal defense, which was designed to stop defenders from dropping back into a zone and thus preventing drives to the basket. The penalty, after a warning, was a technical foul charged to the offending team and one shot for the offense, except that if the first violation occurred within 24 seconds of the end of a period, the technical was assessed without warning.

Beginning with the 2001–02 season, the NBA changed the illegal defense rule to the "defensive 3-second rule," which prohibits a defender from being in the shooting lane for three seconds, unless guarding an opponent within arm's reach (or the man with the ball, regardless of distance). The penalty is the same as it was for an illegal defense, except that no warning is issued.

Additionally, home teams can be assessed technical fouls resulting from their partisans' misconduct for excessive use of artificial noise, the playing of music by their band, or for dangerous offenses such as throwing items (particularly ice or coins) onto the court.

Usually a fight or lesser altercation between players results in a "double technical", in which a technical foul is issued to both players involved. If any player leaves the team bench during a fight, he can be charged with a technical foul and ejected, as can any coach that does so without the beckoning of an official. Rules against fighting vary from high school to college to the NBA, but all levels penalize severely for such conduct, to include suspensions and (in the NBA) heavy fines. NFHS and NCAA require the automatic ejection of bench personnel leaving the team area during a fight, whether or not these players actually participate in the fight.

Beginning with the 2010–11 season, the NBA began to crack down on general complaining. Technical fouls can now be issued for the following:

  • Making aggressive gestures anywhere on the court
  • Disagreement in which a player demonstrates how he was fouled
  • Running toward an official to complain about a call
  • Excessive inquiries about a call

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