In basketball, a technical foul is an infraction of the rules usually concerning unsportsmanlike non-contact behavior. Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ...

Infractions

Many violations can result in the call 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. Occasionally, in their home arena, a coach may intentionally try to get a technical foul to spark energy in the spectators. In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of an athletic team or of individual athletes. ...

Other offences can result in technical fouls, such as fighting or threatening to fight, illegal substitutions, deliberately wasting time (e.g. throwing the ball into the stands or batting a made shot away from the goal so that the scoring team can have more time to get into position on defense); and more technical issues such as uniform violations, having six players on the court, or players remaining in or returning to the game after being disqualified. In basketball, a personal foul is a breach of the rules that concerns illegal personal contact with an opponent. ...

Additionally, home teams can be assessed technical fouls on their crowd for excessive use of artificial noise or for dangerous offenses such as throwing items (particularly ice) onto the court. Artificial noise in the context of sports is the use of sound-making or amplifying devices. ...

Usually a fight results in "double technicals", a technical foul on both teams. Any player that leaves the team bench can be charged with a technical foul or ejected; as can any coach that does so without the beckoning of the official.

Penalty

In college basketball and lower divisions, the penalty for technical fouls has been increased over the years. Initially, the opposing team was awarded one free throw. This was later increased to one free throw and the retention of possession of the ball. For a while, "bench technicals" assessed on a coach or non-active player were considered more serious and resulted in the award of two shots; now this is the case for all technical fouls at most levels, including international basketball. Also, technical fouls are now counted in most leagues toward the number of fouls a player can be allowed prior to his being disqualified, or "fouling out". In the NBA, the penalty remains simply one free throw for the opposing team and retention of possession. A player or coach assessed with two technical fouls is ejected from the stadium. College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. // History The game of basketball was devised by James Naismith in 1891. ... Wally Szczerbiak at the free throw line. ... The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... In sports, an ejection is a disqualifying action assessed to a player or coach by a game official (such as a referee or umpire), usually for unsportsmanlike conduct. ...

In the NBA, an illegal defensive formation is a technical foul charged on the team. Until 1980, a coach could be disqualified for three such violations in a game, and until 2001, a zone defense was forbidden. Currently, an illegal defense technical foul is charged towards a team if a player stands in the restricted area for more than three seconds (called "defensive three seconds" in current NBA rules). Zone defense is a type of defense used in sports which is the alternative to man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area, or a zone, to cover. ...

In the NBA, certain rules violations result in a technical foul, but are not included in a player or coach's count towards ejection. These violations include (1) illegal defense, (2) coach accidentally leaving the coach's box, (3) delay of game, (4) hanging on the rim too long unless you're doing it to avoid falling on someone, (5) re-entering the game after accumulating six fouls because there are no eligible players, or (6) having a "scratched" player playing on the court (a rule adopted in 2005 where up to two "scratches" are permissible with a 14-man roster).

In FIBA play, no technical fouls on a player may eject a player (only a disqualifying foul may do such), and two coach or combination of three coach and bench technical fouls will eject a coach.

Famous instances

One of the most famous technical fouls ever assessed was called on Chris Webber of the University of Michigan late in the 1993 NCAA championship game. Down by two points to North Carolina with only seconds remaining, Webber called for a time out when the team had already used all of their allotted time outs. The resulting penalties ended any hopes Michigan had of claiming the championship. Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III, better known as Chris Webber (born March 1, 1973 in Detroit, Michigan), is an NBA basketball player, most notably with the Sacramento Kings and currently with the Philadelphia 76ers. ... UM also has campuses in Dearborn and Flint. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often pronounced N-C-Double-A or N-C-Two-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public, coeducational, research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. ...

A technical foul against Indiana head coach Bob Knight led him to his infamous chair toss in 1985 against Purdue. Indiana University is the principal campus of the Indiana University system. ... Robert Montgomery Bobby Knight (born October 25, 1940 in Massillon, Ohio) has become synonymous with the game of basketball at the college level. ... Purdue University is a public land-grant university whose primary campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana on the bluffs above the Wabash River. ...

In what has been called the greatest game ever played[1], Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals between the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics, the Suns found themselves one point down with one second left in double overtime, no time outs remaining and possession of the ball under their defensive basket after a John Havlicek bucket. Faced with the near-impossibility of sinking an 80 foot desperation shot, Suns' guard Paul Westphal hit upon an unusual solution. He intentionally called a timeout the Suns did not have. While this gave the Celtics a free throw, which Jo Jo White successfully converted to increase the lead to two, it gave the Suns possession at halfcourt. This enabled Gar Heard to sink an 18-footer as time expired to force a third overtime. NBA rules were changed the following year to prevent a repeat occurrence by not advancing the inbounds pass to halfcourt in similar situations. The 1976 NBA Finals was the championship round for the 1975-1976 NBA season. ... The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. ... The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. ... Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours; these may be determined in several ways, by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), by practices of a given trade or profession, by legislation, or by agreement between employers and workers or their representatives. ... John J. Havlicek (born April 8, 1940 in Martins Ferry, Ohio) is an American former professional basketball player, thought to be one of the best NBA players in history, especially in defense. ... Paul Westphal (born November 30, 1950 in Torrance, California) is a former basketball player and coach in the NBA. A native of California, Westphal has had a storied career in the NBA, both as a player and as a head coach. ... JoJo White (born November 16, 1946) was an American professional basketball player. ... Garfield (Gar) Heard, (born May 3, 1948 in Hogansville, Georgia) is a former American professional basketball player and coach. ...

Another instance of a famous technical foul occurred in the 2000/2001 NBA season where Rasheed Wallace of the Portland Trailblazers, the league's leader in technical fouls, was charged with a technical foul for simply looking at a referee. Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. ... The Portland Trail Blazers are a National Basketball Association team based in Portland, Oregon. ...

Dennis Rodman was once whistled for a technical foul for waving his hand in disgust after being whistled for an offensive foul. Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961, in Trenton, New Jersey) is a professional basketball player best known for his defensive and rebounding ability, leading the National Basketball Association in rebounds per game for a record seven consecutive years and earning NBA All-Defensive First Team honors seven times. ...

External links

• NBA Rule Number 12: Fouls and Penalties