Editing Free throw (section)

==Awarding free throws==
[[File:New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons December 2021 24 (free throw).jpg|thumb|300px|[[Immanuel Quickley]] of the [[New York Knicks]] shoots a free throw during a game versus the [[Detroit Pistons]].]]

There are many situations when free throws can be awarded.

The first and most common is when a player is fouled while in the act of shooting. If the player misses the shot during the foul, the player receives either two or three free throws depending on whether the shot was taken in front of or behind the three-point line. If, despite the foul, the player still makes the attempted shot, the number of free throws is reduced to one, and the basket counts. This is known as a [[three-point play|three-point]] or [[four-point play]], depending on the value of the made basket. "And-One" is also a popular term for this type of free throw.

The second is when the fouling team is in the team [[Bonus (basketball)|bonus (or foul penalty) situation]]. This happens when, in a single period, a team commits a set number of fouls whether or not in the act of shooting. In FIBA, (W)NBA and NCAA women's play, the limit is four fouls per quarter; in the NBA, starting with the fifth foul (fourth in overtime), or the second in the final 2 minutes if the team has less than 5 fouls (4 in OT), the opposing team gets two free throws. The WNBA follows the NBA's rules regarding reset of the team foul count in the final 2 minutes of any period (including overtime). In FIBA and NCAA women's basketball, the fouled player also shoots two free throws starting with the opponent's fifth foul in a period, considering that team fouls accrue from the fourth period on, as all overtimes are extensions of it for purposes of accrued team fouls. In NCAA men's basketball, beginning with the seventh foul of the half, one free throw is awarded; if the player makes the free throw, another is given. This is called shooting a "one-and-one". Starting with the tenth foul of the half, two free throws are awarded. In addition, overtime is considered an extension of the second half for purposes of accumulated team fouls. Free throws are not awarded for offensive fouls (most often [[Personal foul (basketball)|charging fouls]]), even if the team fouled is in the bonus. The number of fouls that triggers a penalty is higher in college men's basketball because the game is divided into two 20-minute halves, as opposed to quarters of 12 minutes in the NBA or 10 minutes in the WNBA, college women's basketball, or FIBA play (the college women's game was played in 20-minute halves before 2015–16). As in professional play, a foul in the act of shooting is a two- or three-shot foul, depending on the value of the shot attempt, with one free throw being awarded if the shot is good.

Free throws are normally taken by the fouled player. If a player is [[Injury|injured]] upon being fouled and cannot shoot free throws; in college, the opposing team's coach may designate any player in the game at the time of the foul to shoot free throws in the place of the injured player; in the NBA, the opposing team designates the player to shoot, and the injured player cannot return unless the foul committed was a [[Flagrant foul|flagrant-2]], in which case the player's own team also gets to pick the replacement shooter. The opposing team chooses a replacement shooter if the player fouled is ejected (such as participating in a fight) before taking their free throws.

If a player, coach, or team staff (e.g., doctor, statistician) shows poor sportsmanship, which may include arguing with a [[Official (basketball)|referee]], or commits a technical violation (delay of game, excessive time outs, or when a team has no eligible players remaining after a player has fouled out or subsequently the last player to foul out must re-enter the game, the latter two are NBA rules) that person may get charged with a more serious foul called a [[technical foul]]. In the NBA and in FIBA, a technical foul results in one free-throw attempt for the other team. Under NCAA rules, technical fouls are divided into "Class A" (violent or serious unsportsmanlike conduct) and "Class B" (less egregious violations such as hanging on the rim or delay of game). Class A technicals result in two free throws, and Class B technicals result in one. At all levels, the opposing team may choose any player who is currently on the court to shoot the free throws and is then awarded possession of the ball after the free throws. Since there is no opportunity for a [[rebound (basketball)|rebound]], these free throws are shot with no players on the lane.
[[File:Technical foul.jpg|thumb|[[Natisha Hiedeman|Natisha Heideman]] shooting free throws after a "reckless closeout" [[flagrant foul]] by [[Courtney Vandersloot]] in Game 2 of the 2024 [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] Finals. Note, both teams wait for the ball behind the shooter and away from the baseline because of the escalated nature of the foul.]]
Finally, if a referee deems a foul extremely aggressive, or that it did not show an attempt to play the ball, the referee can call an even more severe foul, known as an "unsportsmanlike foul" in international and NCAA women's play or a "[[flagrant foul]]" in the NBA and NCAA men's basketball. This foul is charged against the player (who, depending on the severity of the offense, can even be ejected), and the opponent gets two free throws and possession of the ball afterward. Unlike technical fouls, the player fouled must shoot the awarded free throws.

Fouls "away from the ball" (fouls that do not occur on the shooter or near the ball) are handled like the second case above in most situations. Many times defenders hold their opponent to prevent them from catching an in-bound pass or fight through screens and thus are called for fouls. These fouls are almost always treated as normal personal fouls. In the NBA, when there are only two minutes left on the clock of either half, 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 deliberately single out its opponent's poor free-throw shooters, regardless of their dominance in other aspects of the game (as in the cases of [[Ben Wallace (basketball)|Ben Wallace]] and [[Shaquille O'Neal]]), as the targets of deliberate fouls until the two-minute mark, after which the losing team plays intense defense for the rest of the game; this strategy is known as the "[[Hack-a-Shaq]]". It is believed that this rule was instituted because of [[Wilt Chamberlain]].{{citation needed|date=February 2018}} Previously, teams had been allowed to foul any player on the court regardless of whether that player had possession of the ball, with only two free throws awarded to the fouled player. This motivated teams to chase poor free-throw shooters, such as Chamberlain, around the court in an attempt to foul him in an effort to extend the game. To discourage this practice, the NBA changed the rule to award one free throw and possession of the ball to a player who has fouled away from the ball in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. This rule does not apply in international or NCAA play and in fact, plays a very vital strategic role in the NCAA Tournament.

Effective in October 2022, FIBA established a new category of personal foul that it calls a "throw-in foul". This category only applies in the last 2 minutes of any period (quarter or overtime). Any personal foul by the defense on an offensive player while the ball is out of bounds and either in the hands of the referee or at the disposal of the player taking the throw-in results in 1 free throw and possession.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fiba.basketball/documents/fiba-official-basketball-rules-changes-2022-v1.0a.pdf |title=Article 34 / 37: Throw-in foul |work=The FIBA Official Basketball Rule Changes (Valid as of 1 October 2022) |page=12 |publisher=FIBA |date=May 1, 2022 |access-date=December 4, 2022}}</ref>

[[3x3 basketball|3x3]], FIBA's version of the half-court three-on-three game, has its own unique free-throw rules.
* No free throws are awarded for the first 6 team fouls during a game (regulation 3x3 games are played in a single period). Exceptions are shooting fouls, technical fouls, and unsportsmanlike and disqualifying fouls.
* In standard free-throw shooting situations, only one free throw is awarded. This matches normal scoring, in which baskets inside the "three-point" arc are worth 1&nbsp;point and those from outside the arc are worth 2&nbsp;points.
* A player fouled on a missed basket attempt normally receives a number of free throws equal to the value of the attempted shot (either 1&nbsp;or&nbsp;2).
* A player fouled on a made basket normally receives one free throw.
* A team enters the bonus once its opponent has committed its seventh foul of the game. On team fouls 7, 8, and 9, the fouled player receives two free throws. Starting with the 10th team foul, the fouled player receives two free throws ''and'' the non-offending team receives possession of the ball. This supersedes the standard rule for shooting fouls (whether the basket was made or missed).
* Technical fouls result in one free throw for the non-offending team, and add 1 to the offending team's foul count. No additional free throws are awarded.
* Unsportsmanlike fouls result in two free throws. Disqualifying fouls, including a player's second unsportsmanlike foul (which automatically results in ejection), result in two free throws and possession. Both types add 2 fouls to the team foul count, but no additional free throws are awarded.
* As in standard full-court rules, offensive fouls never result in free throws.
* Double fouls never result in free throws, even if one or both of the fouls are unsportsmanlike or disqualifying.