Article 37
Disruptive foul
A disruptive foul is a player’s illegal contact with an opponent which does not rise to the level of a flagrant foul, and which disrupts the flow of the game and places the opponent at a disadvantage. The criteria for disruptive fouls are the following:
- An unnecessary contact caused by the defensive player, not legitimately attempting to directly play the ball, to stop the progress of the offensive team in transition. This applies until the offensive player starts the act of shooting.
- An unnecessary contact caused by the defensive player anywhere on the court, not legitimately attempting to directly play the ball, to stop the game clock and/or shot clock, at the end of a quarter or overtime.
- An illegal contact caused by a player from behind or laterally on an opponent, who is progressing towards the opponents’ basket and with no opponents between the progressing player and the basket, and ─ The progressing player is in control of the ball, or ─ The progressing player is attempting to gain control of the ball, or ─ The ball has been released on a pass to the progressing player. Thi s applies until the offensive player starts the act of shooting. A disruptive foul shall not count towards the game disqualification.
Team A starts a fast break. B1, not legitimately attempting to directly play the ball, grabs A1’s arm to stop team A’s transition before A1 starts the act of shooting.
B1 shall be charged with a disruptive foul. The contact is unnecessary, stops the progress of the offensive team in transition and occurs before the act of shooting starts.
Team A gains control and starts a transition. B1 reaches across A1’s body and grabs A1’s shirt from the side without attempting to directly play the ball before A1 starts the act of shooting.
B1 shall be charged with a disruptive foul. The contact is unnecessary, is not a legitimate attempt to directly play the ball, stops the progress of offensive team in transition and occurs before the act of shooting starts.
A1 is in transition and has started the act of shooting. B1 then makes unnecessary contact without attempting to directly play the ball.
The transition disruptive foul criteria no longer apply once the offensive player has started the act of shooting. The contact shall be judged by a referee according to the relevant personal or flagrant foul criteria, depending on the nature of the action and the severity of the contact.
B1 reaches for the ball during team A’s transition and makes illegal contact on A1’s forearm while directly attempting to play the ball.
B1 shall not be charged with a disruptive foul solely because the contact occurs in transition. If the contact does not meet disruptive or flagrant criteria, it shall be penalised as a personal foul.
With 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, A1 catches the ball from A2’s throw-in. B1 wraps both arms around A1 at mid-court to stop the game clock. B1 is not attempting to play the ball.
If the contact does not rise to the level of a flagrant foul, B1 shall be charged with a disruptive foul. The contact is unnecessary, occurs near the end of the fourth quarter, and is committed to stop the game clock without a legitimate attempt to directly play the ball.
With 18 seconds remaining in overtime, B1 deliberately pushes dribbler A1 in the back anywhere on the court, not legitimately attempting to play the ball.
If the contact does not rise to the level of a flagrant foul, B1 shall be charged with a disruptive foul. The contact is unnecessary, occurs near the end of the overtime, and is committed to stop the game clock without a legitimate attempt to directly play the ball.
With 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, and with team B having committed 3 team fouls in the fourth quarter, A1 catches the ball and starts a moving shot. During A1’s upward motion, B1 pulls A1’s shirt from behind, not attempting to play the ball.
The contact is considered to have occurred during the act of shooting. If the contact does not rise to the level of a flagrant foul, B1 shall be charged with a disruptive foul. The contact is unnecessary, occurs near the end of the fourth quarter, and is committed to stop the game clock without a legitimate attempt to play the ball directly.
A1 dribbles to the basket on a fast break and there is no opponent player between A1 and the opponents’ basket. B1 contacts A1 illegally from behind and a foul against B1 is called.
This is a disruptive foul by B1.
While A1 is finishing a fast break and before A1 has gathered the ball in the hands to start the act of shooting, B1 contacts A1’s arm from behind trying to steal the ball. There is no opponent player between A1 and the opponent’s basket.
This is a disruptive foul by B1.
While A1 is finishing a fast break at the free-throw line in team A’s frontcourt, and after A1 has gathered the ball in the hands to start the act of shooting, B1 contacts A1’s arm from behind while attempting to tap the ball away. There is no opponent player between A1 and the opponents’ basket.
The contact occurs after the act of shooting has started. Therefore, it does not meet the criteria for a disruptive foul. If B1’s contact does not meet the criteria for a flagrant foul, it shall be penalised as a personal foul.
A1 passes the ball from the backcourt to A2, who is progressing towards the opponents’ basket in the team A’s frontcourt with no team B player between A2 and the basket. A2 jumps in the air and, before catching the ball, B1 fouls A2 from behind. A foul is charged against B1.
This is a disruptive foul by B1 for illegal contact on a progressing player from behind with no team B player between A2 and the basket.
B1, in team B’s backcourt, taps the ball away from dribbler A1. B1 then attempts to gain control of the ball. With no team A player between B1 and team A’s basket, A2 contacts B1 from behind or laterally.
This is a disruptive foul by A2. The illegal contact was from behind or laterally on a player progressing towards the basket with no opponent between the player and the basket.
A1 has the ball in the hands in the backcourt. A2 is progressing in team A’s frontcourt towards the opponents’ basket with no team B player between A2 and the basket. Before A1 releases the ball for a pass to A2, B1 fouls A2 from behind.
The foul does not meet the criteria for a disruptive foul, as A1 has not yet released the ball on a pass to A2. The contact shall be penalised as a personal foul, unless it rises to the level of a flagrant foul.