Quick answer:
An NBA player is disqualified after 6 personal fouls.
Personal fouls: These are the most common type of foul, resulting from illegal physical contact.
Technical fouls: Accumulating two technical fouls in a single game also results in ejection.
Flagrant fouls: A flagrant 2 foul leads to immediate ejection from the game.
No exceptions, no extra life, no re-entry, you’re done for the night (unless your bench literally runs out of bodies, but we’ll cover that edge case later).
Official Rulebook
The official NBA rules regarding fouls are detailed in Rule No. 12 of the NBA Official Rulebook. Here are the main categories and penalties:
- Personal Fouls: Illegal physical contact with an opponent, such as holding, pushing, or charging. Penalties include free throws and loss of possession, depending on the situation.
- Flagrant Fouls: Excessive or unnecessary contact, divided into Flagrant 1 (unnecessary contact) and Flagrant 2 (excessive, dangerous contact). Flagrant 2 results in ejection and possible suspension.
- Technical Fouls: Non-contact violations, such as unsportsmanlike conduct, excessive timeouts, or delay of game. Penalties include free throws and potential ejection for repeated offenses.
- Punching and Fighting Fouls: Any act of punching or fighting results in immediate ejection and possible suspension.
- Team Fouls: Each team is allowed four common fouls per quarter before entering the penalty situation (bonus free throws).
- Offensive Fouls: Illegal contact by the offensive player, such as charging or illegal screens. The penalty is loss of possession.
- Loose Ball Fouls: Illegal contact when neither team has clear possession. Penalties are similar to personal fouls.
- Away-from-the-Play Fouls: Occur when a player commits a foul away from the ball, often resulting in free throws and possession.
- Clear-Path Fouls: Occur when a player commits a foul on a fast break, resulting in two free throws and possession.
These rules ensure fair play and player safety, with instant replay used for flagrant foul reviews.
What Counts as a Personal Foul?
Personal fouls are illegal physical contacts that occur while the ball is live. The most common:
| Type | Brief Description |
|---|---|
| Blocking | Defender impedes progress without legal guarding position. |
| Charging | Offensive player initiates contact against a stationary defender. |
| Holding | Using hands to restrict opponent’s movement. |
| Pushing | Any force that displaces an opponent. |
| Illegal Screen | Off-ball screener moves or is too close when contact occurs. |
| Reach-in | Defender swipes and makes illegal arm/hand contact. |
Offensive fouls (e.g., illegal screen, charge) do count toward the 6-foul limit but do NOT generate free throws for the other team .
Team-Foul Context: The Bonus & Double Bonus
While players have individual limits, teams also accumulate fouls per quarter:
- 4 team fouls or fewer in a quarter = ball out-of-bounds to opponent.
- 5th team foul (and every non-shooting foul after) = “in the bonus” = 2 free throws .
- Overtime periods reset the team-foul count to 0, but player fouls carry over .
The Rare “Last-Man Standing” Exception
If every healthy substitute has already fouled out, the six-foul player must stay in—but his team is charged a technical foul for every additional foul he commits from that point on .
This has happened twice in modern NBA history (most recently Robert Sacre, Lakers 2014) .
Quick Comparison Table: Fouls to Foul Out
| League | Personal-Foul Limit | Game Length |
|---|---|---|
| NBA / WNBA | 6 | 48 min (40 min W) |
| NCAA Men | 5 | 40 min |
| NCAA Women | 5 | 40 min |
| FIBA | 5 | 40 min |
| U.S. High School | 5 | 32–36 min |
Strategy Corner: How Coaches Manage Fouls
- 2 fouls in the 1st quarter → most starters sit until halftime.
- 3 fouls by halftime → minutes monitored closely.
- 4 fouls after 3rd quarter → “foul trouble” – often benched until 6-min mark of 4th.
- 5 fouls → ultra-conservative mode; hands straight up, no swipe downs.
Hack-a-Shaq tactics deliberately send poor free-throw shooters to the line, but coaches must weigh using up team fouls vs. free points .
Historical Nuggets
- Fastest foul-out ever: Bubba Wells, 3 minutes (1997, intentional hack-a-Rodman) .
- Most fouls in one game by a team: Utah Jazz, 52 fouls vs. Suns (1990) .
- Career fouls leader: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 4,657 personal fouls .
Key Takeaways
- 6 personal fouls = disqualification in the NBA.
- Technical fouls are separate; two = ejection.
- Team fouls trigger bonus free throws, not player disqualification.
- Offensive fouls count toward the 6-foul limit.
- Edge-case exception: if no subs remain, six-foul player stays but techs ensue.
Keep these numbers in mind the next time you scream at the TV, “That’s his fifth—one more and he’s gone!”—because now you know exactly when the whistle ends a player’s night.