Technical Fouls Explained

If you’re new to watching basketball, you may have heard broadcasters use the term “tech” or “technical foul” and wondered what they were talking about.

Well, here’s everything you need to know about technical fouls. This article will break down how they work, the different ways a player can get called for a tech, when a player can get suspended for picking up technical fouls, the all time NBA leaders in techs and much more.

So What’s a "Tech" in Basketball?

If you hear the term “tech,” it’s just a shortened way of saying technical foul. You might also hear broadcasters or fans say a player or coach got “T’d up.” These all mean the same thing.

How are technical fouls different from common fouls? Here’s how the NBA defines both types of fouls:

Common foul: “A common personal foul is illegal physical contact which occurs with an opponent after the ball has become live and before the horn sounds to end the period.”
Technical foul: “A technical foul is the penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct or violations by team members on the floor or seated on the bench.”

In the NBA, if players are called for two technical fouls, they are ejected from the game and fined by the league office.

The Types of Technical Fouls in the NBA

The NBA rulebook lists the different types of technical fouls that a player or coach can be whistled for, and they fall under six categories. Here’s how the NBA defines the various types of techs.

Excessive timeouts

“Requests for a timeout in excess of the authorized number shall be granted and a technical foul shall be assessed.”

Delay of game

“A delay-of-game shall be called for preventing the ball from being promptly put into play, interfering with the ball after a successful field goal or free throw, failing to immediately pass the ball to the nearest official when a personal foul or violation is assessed, touching the ball before the throw-in has been released, a defender crossing the boundary line within the designated throw-in spot prior to the ball being released on a throw-in, a team preventing play from commencing at any time, any player, coach or trainer interfering with a ball which has crossed the boundary line, a free throw shooter venturing fully beyond the three-point line between attempts, or a player entering the game when beckoned by an official with his shirt untucked.”

Number of players

“If the ball is put into play and remains in play with one team having six or more players on the court, a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul will be assessed on the team with too many players.”

Basket ring, backboard or support

"An offensive player who deliberately hangs on his basket ring, net, backboard or support during the game shall be assessed a non-unsportsmanlike technical foul. A defensive player who deliberately gains or maintains height or hangs on his opponent’s basket ring, net, backboard or support shall be assessed a non-unsportsmanlike technical If he touches the ball during a field goal attempt.”

Conduct

“A technical foul(s) may be assessed to any player on the court or anyone seated on the bench for conduct which, in the opinion of an official, is detrimental to the game. A technical foul shall be assessed for unsportsmanlike tactics such as disrespectfully addressing an official, physically contacting an official, overt actions indicating resentment to a call or no-call, use of profanity, a coach entering onto the court without permission of an official, a deliberately-thrown elbow or any unnatural physical act towards an opponent with no contact involved, or taunting.”

Fighting

“Technical fouls shall be assessed [to] players, coaches or trainers for fighting. No free throws will be attempted. The participants will be ejected immediately."

There are also team technical fouls, such as for defensive three-seconds “when a defensive player does not exit the 16-foot key area, or actively guard an opponent, within three seconds.” Coaches can get called for a team tech for leaving the coaches' box or if the assistant coaches on the bench are standing, kneeling or squatting (as they are required to stay seated).

Technical Fouls in NCAA Basketball

In college basketball, technical fouls are a bit different, as there are Class A techs and Class B techs:

Class A - The technical fouls are more severe and called for unsportsmanlike behavior, so two Class A techs result in an ejection.
Class B - Class B technical fouls are less severe and typically don't involve contact with the opponent, so a player isn't ejected until they're called for three Class B technicals.

Class A techs count toward the team foul total and personal foul count, while Class B techs do not.

What Are the Consequences of Technical Fouls?

In the NBA, when a player is called for a technical foul, the opposing team typically gets one or two free throws (depending on the type of tech) and possession of the ball. However, there are other consequences as well.

A player can be ejected for receiving one technical foul if it’s for, say, unsportsmanlike conduct or fighting, and they must be ejected if they receive two technical fouls of any kind. But on top of getting ejected, players are also fined and eventually suspended if they continue to rack up technical fouls.

During the regular season, a player is fined $2,000 for each of his first five technical fouls. For techs six through 10, a player is fined $3,000 for each. For techs 11 through 15, a player is fined $4,000 for each and he will receive a warning letter from the league office. If a player commits a 16th tech in a single season, he will receive a $5,000 fine and one-game suspension. For each additional technical, the player is fined $5,000. And for each two additional techs, he is fined $5,000 and receives a one-game suspension.

Also, whenever a player is ejected, he is fined $2,000. For each subsequent ejection, the player is fined $2,000 plus the amount of his last ejection fine (so it continues to increase after each ejection).

During the NBA Playoffs, the fines are a bit different. For the first two techs, the player is fined $2,000 for each. For technicals three and four, the player is fined $3,000 for each. For techs five and six, the player is fined $4,000 for each and receives a warning letter from the league office. If a player commits a seventh technical foul during a single postseason, he receives a $5,000 fine and a one-game suspension. For each additional tech, the player receives a $5,000 fine. And for each two additional technicals, the player receives a $5,000 fine and a one-game suspension.

How Technical Fouls Affect Fantasy Basketball

In fantasy basketball, players don’t lose fantasy points for technical fouls; however, techs can affect fantasy basketball if a player is consistently getting ejected or suspended for picking up technicals.

During the 2022-23 NBA season, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green was suspended for one game after committing his 16th technical of the campaign. The following season, in December of 2023, Green received an indefinite suspension for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face, and the league specified that it took into account "Green's repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts." He ultimately returned the following month after missing 16 games. But any fantasy manager who drafted Green was without a key player for a significant chunk of that season.

In 2023, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was nearly suspended for one game in late March after he was called for his 16th technical foul; however, the NBA rescinded the tech the next day, so he avoided the suspension. If Doncic’s suspension had been upheld, the league leader in fantasy points per game would have been suspended during a crucial point in the fantasy playoffs.

These suspensions for technical fouls typically occur toward the end of the season, when the fantasy playoffs are in full swing, so they can have a huge impact on fantasy teams.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the NBA’s all-time leader in technical fouls?

While Rasheed Wallace is the poster boy for technical fouls in the NBA, fans will be surprised to learn that he isn't the all-time leader in techs. While Wallace does hold the NBA's single-season record for technical fouls with 41, he actually ranks third all-time in techs with 317.

Who are the top two? Charles Barkley is the runner-up, with 329 career techs. And the NBA's all-time leader in technical fouls is Karl Malone, who picked up 332 throughout his career.

When did the NBA start suspending players for techs?

How did Malone, Barkley and Wallace rack up so many technical fouls throughout their careers? Well, it wasn’t until 2006 that the NBA adopted its current system where players are fined more for each subsequent technical and suspended for one game after 16 techs in a single season.

This system has been extremely effective in reducing technical fouls. The league made this change in large part because Wallace was called for those 41 techs during the 2000-01 season.

What is a double technical foul?

A double technical foul is when both teams receive a technical foul at the same time. For example, if two opposing players are both taunting each other and exhibiting unsportsmanlike conduct, they will both be whistled for technical fouls simultaneously, and this is called a double technical foul.

Referees sometimes call double techs as a way to keep control of the game and make it clear to all players and coaches that further unsportsmanlike behavior won’t be tolerated.

Do technical fouls count as personal fouls?

In the NBA, a technical foul does not count as a personal foul. However, a player who receives two techs in a game will be ejected for the remainder of the game. In college basketball, techs are counted as personal fouls, which means a player who already has four personal fouls will "foul out" if they receive a technical foul — counted as their fifth personal foul — thus disqualifying them from the game.

What is a flagrant foul?

Flagrant fouls are different from technical fouls and common fouls, and they are called when a player makes unnecessary contact with an opposing player. There are two kinds of flagrant fouls: flagrant foul 1 and flagrant foul 2. Here’s how the NBA defines them:

Flagrant Foul 1: “Unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent”
Flagrant Foul 2: “Unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent”

The rulebook adds: “Both flagrant fouls carry a penalty of two free throws and the team that was fouled retains possession. A flagrant foul 2 also results in the ejection of the player committing the foul. A player who commits two flagrant foul 1s in the same game is also ejected.”

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