A flagrant foul in basketball is a serious type of personal foul that involves unnecessary and/or excessive contact with an opponent during play. It is designed to maintain player safety and sportsmanship by penalizing overly aggressive or violent physical actions that go beyond normal gameplay. There are two types of flagrant fouls:
- Flagrant 1 (FF1): This is unnecessary contact that is considered reckless and could potentially cause minor injury, but is not severe enough to warrant ejection from the game. The fouling player is penalized, the offended player gets two free throws, and the offended team retains possession of the ball.
- Flagrant 2 (FF2): This constitutes unnecessary and excessive contact that is more severe and often intentional, with a high potential to cause injury. This results in immediate ejection of the player committing the foul. The fouled player gets two free throws, and the offended team retains possession as well.
Both flagrant fouls carry harsher penalties than ordinary personal fouls and are reviewed carefully by referees, sometimes with the help of instant replay. Players committing two Flagrant 1 fouls in the same game will also be ejected. The rule serves to protect players from dangerous conduct and promote fairness in the game. Examples include swinging elbows into an opponent's head, hitting a player while airborne going for a shot, or shoving an opponent excessively without a legitimate basketball play attempt. In summary, a flagrant foul is a foul involving excessive or unnecessary contact, and depending on its severity, it can lead to free throws, possession for the offended team, fines, suspensions, or ejection of the offending player.
