Personal Foul Limits: Why Players Foul Out in the NBA and FIBA

By Kadario Team

"Foul trouble" is one of the most common phrases in a basketball broadcast. It comes from the limit on personal fouls each player can commit.

The limits

In the NBA, a player is disqualified, or "fouls out", after six personal fouls in a game. Under FIBA rules, used in many international and domestic competitions, the limit is five fouls. FIBA counts technical and unsportsmanlike fouls toward that total, so the exact rules depend on the competition.

What counts

Personal fouls include shooting fouls, reaching fouls, illegal screens, blocking fouls and offensive fouls such as charges. Each one adds to the player's total and, in most cases, the team's foul count for the quarter.

How coaches handle foul trouble

A common rule of thumb is to sit a player who picks up two fouls in the first quarter, or three in the first half, so they're still available for the finish. Some coaches prefer to keep stars on the court and accept the risk. Either way, foul trouble changes rotations and minutes.

Effects on the game

A player with several fouls often defends more cautiously, avoiding contests at the rim. Opponents may attack that player on purpose to draw another foul. When a key player fouls out late, the team loses a scorer or defender at the worst time.

Overtime

Personal fouls carry over into overtime, so a player with five fouls in the NBA starts overtime one foul from disqualification.

Box scores list each player's foul total, usually in a column marked "PF". Check those columns during live games on Kadario's live basketball scores to see which players are close to the limit.