Free throw

Free throws or foul shots, in basketball, are attempts to score points unopposed from the free throw line (informally known as the charity stripe), and are generally awarded after a foul by the opposing team.

When free throws are awarded

There are several situations when free throws can be awarded.

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The first and most common is when a player is fouled while in the act of shooting. If the foul causes him to miss the shot, he receives two free throws if he was shooting for two points or three free throws if he was shooting for three. If, despite the foul, the player still makes the shot he was attempting, the number of free throws is reduced to one, and the basket counts. This is known as a three-point or four-point play, depending on the value of the made basket, and happens most frequently (though still uncommon as a whole) during a drive to the basket.

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The second is when the fouling team is in the team foul penalty situation. This happens when, in a single period, they commit more than a set number of fouls (four in international and NBA basketball). Even if the player was not in act of shooting, two free throws are awarded no matter where or when the foul occurred. Exceptions are when the foul occurred while the offensive player was shooting, in which case it is treated like a normal shooting foul.

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The team foul penalty situation is slightly different in U.S. college basketball. Once a team has committed more than six fouls in a period, the fouled player shoots a one-and-one, in which the player must make the first free throw in order to get a chance to shoot a second. Starting with the tenth foul in a period, two free throws are awarded. The number of fouls that trigger a penalty is higher in college basketball because the periods are longer—two 20-minute halves, as opposed to quarters of 10 minutes in FIBA play or 12 minutes in the NBA. As in professional play, a foul in the act of shooting is treated as a normal shooting fou.

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If a player, coach, or team follower (for example doctor, statistician) shows poor sportmanship, e.g. extensive arguing with a referee, that person gets charged with a technical foul. If the technical foul was by a player on court, the opposing team is awarded one free throw; if it was by a coach or other person on the team bench, the opponents get awarded two free throws. The opposing team has an arbitrary choice of shooter, and is then awarded the possession of the ball after the free throws (therefore players do not line up for the rebound in such free throws).

Related Topics:
Referee - Technical foul

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Finally, if a foul is extremely aggressive or did not show an attempt to play the ball, an unsportsmanlike (or in the NBA, flagrant) foul is charged against the player, and the opponent gets two free throws and possession of the ball afterwards.

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Fouls "off the ball" (fouls that do not occur on the shooter or near the ball) are handled like the second case above in most situations, however, in the NBA, when there are only 2 minutes left on the clock of either half, obvious off-ball fouls when the fouling team is over the limit are rewarded with one free throw and possession of the ball. It is therefore common for a losing team to purposely foul players such as Shaquille O'Neal, a dominant player but a terrible foul shooter, up until the 2 minute mark, and then play intense defense for the rest of the game. In international games this does not apply.

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