Basketball Rules - Technical Fouls

Technical fouls are fouls called by the referee for actions outside the normal realm of the game of basketball.  The following are circumstances where a referee might call a technical foul:

• A coach or assistant coach says a profanity to a ref, continues to jaw with a ref, or leaves his coaching box.
• A player overly complains about a call made by a referee.
• Fans throw things onto the floor.
• A player commits a flagrant foul.

In most cases. when a technical foul is called the other team gets to pick any player of their choice to shoot a free throw.  That team also gets possession of the ball after the free throw.  Contrary to normal free throw situations, during a technical foul free throw attempt nobody else will be around the lane and the free throw shooter will be out there by himself / herself.

If a player or coach receives two technical fouls in the same game they are ejected from the game.

Technical fouls count toward a player's individual foul total but not toward a team's total team fouls.

Legendary Coach Bobby Knight was famous for getting technical fouls called on him back when he coached at the University of Indiana.  He once threw a chair and a telephone out on the floor and was ejected from the game.