What is a flagrant foul, and what is the penalty?

A flagrant foul (FIBA Article 38, new in 2026) is illegal contact that violates the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play and, by its nature or severity, goes beyond a personal or disruptive foul. The criteria are:

• not a legitimate basketball play against an opponent, with or without the ball;
• a reckless, violent or dangerous act that causes or may cause injury;
• excessive, hard contact in an effort to play the ball or an opponent.

Judge only the action, consistently throughout the game.

Penalty

• Charged to the offender as a player foul and a team foul (scoresheet "FL", circled because it counts towards disqualification).
• Free throws to the fouled player: 2 if not shooting; basket counts plus 1 if shooting and it goes in; 2 or 3 if shooting and it misses.
• Then a throw-in from the throw-in line in the team's frontcourt, opposite the scorer's table (or a jump ball if at the start of the 1st quarter).

Disqualification: two flagrant fouls, or one flagrant plus one category 1 technical, means game disqualification. Only that foul is penalised; there's no extra penalty for the disqualification.