Explained NBA flagrant foul type 1 vs 2 difference, playoffs rules and points

With the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs underway, there are already plenty of controversy surrounding Flagrant fouls and fans are eager to learn more about the different between foul type 1 and 2 and the penalty rules and points

According to the NBA rulebook, there are two kinds of Flagrant fouls – Flagrant foul 1, and Flagrant foul 2.

NBA flagrant foul type 1 vs 2 difference, playoffs rules and points

The @NBA cited Draymond’s “history” as part of the reasoning for his suspension.

Career games played:
Draymond – 905
Embiid – 441

Flagrant Fouls:
Draymond -19
Embiid – 21

Your can’t make this up. pic.twitter.com/jZnoN51kml

— Guru (@DrGuru_) April 21, 2023

I can remember tons of Green's no flagrant fouls. pic.twitter.com/GekbeyEBuV

— Rlittleverse (@peterbarca) April 21, 2023

The 2023 NBA Playoffs have already seen two controversial cases involving Flagrant fouls so far, and with many games still up ahead, find out all the details regarding the foul.

NBA Playoffs Flagrant fouls

The first controversy came up in Game 2 of the Western Conference series between the Warriors and Kings. Draymond Green and Domantas Sabonis got involved in a tie-up when Sabonis hit the deck while going for a rebound and ended up holding on to Green’s ankle. Meanwhile, Green tried to shake loose and stomped on Sabonis’ chest in the process. This resulted in a Flagrant 2 foul and ejection for Green from the game. Following a review, the NBA elected to suspend Green for Game 3.

Just a few days later, there was another controversial call in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference series. This time it was during the match between the 76ers and Nets. Brooklyn center Nic Claxton threw down an alley-oop while 76ers star Joel Embiid fell to the ground. Claxton attempted to step over Embiid in the process but Embiid made a kicking motion toward Claxton’s groin section. The officials assessed Embiid’s actions as a Flagrant 1 foul, while Claxton received a technical foul.

Flagrant 1 foul

According to the NBA rulebook, a Flagrant 1 foul is considered as an “unnecessary” foul. It is however, open to interpretation. Given below is the official wording of the foul:

Rule 12B, Section IV-a. If contact committed against a player, with or without the ball, is interpreted to be unnecessary, a flagrant foul—penalty (1) will be assessed. A personal foul is charged to the offender and a team foul is charged to the team.

All Flagrant fouls are reviewed. A player who commits two Flagrant 1 fouls in a game is ejected. The fouled team gets two free throws and retains possession of the ball.

Flagrant 2 foul

According to the NBA rulebook, a Flagrant 2 foul is an “unnecessary” foul that is also “excessive”. Just like the Flagrant 1 foul, a Flagrant 2 foul is also open to interpretation.

Given below is the official wording describing a Flagrant 2 foul from the NBA rulebook:

Rule 12B, Section IV-b. If contact committed against a player, with or without the ball, is interpreted to be unnecessary and excessive, a flagrant foul—penalty (2) will be assessed. A personal foul is charged to the offender and a team foul is charged to the team.

All Flagrant fouls are reviewed. A player who commits two Flagrant 1 fouls in a game is ejected. The fouled team gets two free throws and retains possession of the ball.

NBA flagrant fouls criteria

The NBA and its officials consider six different criteria when reviewing a possible flagrant foul. Given below are the six criteria from the NBA  rulebook:

1. The severity of the contact
2. Whether or not the player was making a legitimate basketball play
3. During a foul committed with a player’s arm or hand, whether or not the fouling player wound up and/or followed through after making contact
4. Potential injuries resulting from contact (e.g., a blow to the head, a foul committed while a player is in a vulnerable position)
5. The severity of any injury suffered by the offended player
6. The outcome of the contact (e.g., if it it led to an altercation)

Difference between a Flagrant 1 and Flagrant 2

The main difference between a Flagrant 1 foul and a Flagrant 2 foul is that while a Flagrant 1 is an “unnecessary” foul, a Flagrant 2 foul is both “unnecessary” and “excessive”.

Do flagrant fouls lead to suspensions

Yes, players can end up getting a suspension if they get too many flagrant fouls. Players rack up points for each Flagrant foul, when a player has over three Flagrant foul points, they receive an automatic one-game suspension.

Moreover, even after serving their suspension, a player’s point total doesn’t go down to zero. As such, if a player picks up another flagrant foul, they earn more points and end up having to serve another automatic two-game suspension.

Given below are the Flagrant foul points breakdown:

Flagrant 1 = 1 point

Flagrant 2 = 2 points

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