The new FIBA Basketball Rules came into effect on 1 October 2026, and they change how some fouls are called and penalised. Here's what Kangas players, coaches, team managers and parents need to know this summer.

Nunawading Basketball has put together a great set of graphics explaining the key changes, and we've added a short, plain-English summary of each one below. You don't need to memorise the rulebook, but knowing the basics will help you understand what the referees are calling from the sidelines, especially the brand-new Disruptive Foul.

The changes at a glance

• Act of Shooting: clearer rules on when a player is "in the act" of shooting
• Technical Fouls: now split into two categories
• Disruptive Foul: a new foul for stopping fast breaks and running down the clock
• Flagrant Foul: the new name and definition for the most serious fouls
• Game Disqualification: what adds up to being sent off
• New referee signals: what the new hand signals mean

1. Act of Shooting

FIBA ART. 15: REFINED

Whether a player is "in the act of shooting" decides whether a foul earns free throws. The new rules treat two kinds of shot differently:

• Jump shots start when the player begins lifting their shoulders and the ball up towards the basket.
• Drives to the basket start when the player gathers the ball (off a dribble or a catch) and keeps moving into the shot without a break, usually somewhere between the 3-point line and the ring.

In both cases, the shot ends when the ball leaves the player's hands or, for a player in the air, when both feet are back on the floor. A player also has to be in the frontcourt to be in the act of shooting, except for a last-second shot before the clock runs out.

In short: if a fouled player passes the ball off, swings it away from the basket or turns away from the ring, they're no longer shooting, so don't expect free throws.

2. Technical Fouls

FIBA ART. 36: RESTRUCTURED

Technical fouls now come in two categories, and the difference matters:

Category 1 (behaviour)

Disrespecting officials, opponents or the bench; offensive language or gestures; baiting or taunting; obstructing an opponent's vision near the eyes; flopping (faking a foul).
Counts towards Game Disqualification.

Category 2 (game management)

Delaying the game; hanging on the ring without cause; goaltending on the last free throw; a defender crossing the boundary line during a throw-in in the last 2 minutes.
Does not count towards Game Disqualification.

For any technical foul, play stops, one free throw is awarded and the game resumes from where it stopped. A technical foul on anyone on the bench is always Category 1 and counts towards the coach's disqualification.

3. Disruptive Foul (new)

FIBA ART. 37: NEW RULE

This is the biggest change. A Disruptive Foul is illegal contact that's used to break up the flow of the game or stop a scoring chance, without being serious enough to be a flagrant foul. Referees will call it in three situations:

• Transition: a defender who isn't really playing the ball fouls to stop a fast break.
• Clock-killing: a defender fouls without playing the ball to stop the clock at the end of a period.
• Clear breakaway: contact from behind or the side on a player heading to the basket with no defender in front of them.

Penalty: two free throws to the fouled player, then possession in the frontcourt. It counts as a personal foul but not towards Game Disqualification.

Tip for coaches: the "take a foul to stop the fast break" tactic now gives away two shots and the ball, so it's worth talking about with your team.

4. Flagrant Foul

FIBA ART. 38: REDEFINED

A Flagrant Foul is contact that goes against the spirit of fair play and is more serious than a personal or disruptive foul. It's called when the contact is:

• not a legitimate basketball play, whether or not the opponent has the ball
• reckless, violent or dangerous, causing or likely to cause injury
• excessively hard, well beyond what's needed to contest the ball or the player.

Penalty: two free throws to the fouled player, then possession in the frontcourt. Flagrant fouls do count towards Game Disqualification.

5. Game Disqualification

FIBA ART. 36 & 38: COMBINED

Only Category 1 technical fouls and flagrant fouls count towards being disqualified from the game.

• Players are disqualified after any two of these: 2 flagrant fouls, 2 Category 1 technicals, or 1 of each.
• Head coaches are disqualified after 2 Category 1 technicals for their own behaviour, or 3 Category 1 technicals from the bench.

6. New Referee Signals

FIBA APPENDIX A: NEW / UPDATED

Keep an eye out for these new signals from the referees:

• Delay of game: arm out to the side, swept back across the body twice.
• Disruptive foul: closed fist raised above the head, then brought down showing two fingers.
• Flagrant foul: one hand gripping the other wrist above the head.

A reminder for the sidelines

New rules take everyone a little while to get used to, including our referees, many of whom are juniors still learning the game. Please be patient, keep it positive and leave the rule calls to the officials.

Got a question about a rule? Email president@nunawadingkangas.com.au and we'll do our best to explain it in a future Courtside Clarity.

Graphics courtesy of Nunawading Basketball. They are an educational summary of the key changes and not FIBA's own material. For the complete wording and how each rule is applied, refer to the official FIBA Basketball Rules.