There are a number of ways to talk about fouls in the NBA, but let’s get technical for a second.
At essentially all levels of basketball, any player or coach that receives two technical fouls in one game is disqualified and ejected from said game — the NBA is no exception.
Unique to the NBA is a technical foul tally that can result in an automatic suspension if an individual accrues enough technical fouls.
How many technical fouls result in an automatic suspension? Here are the NBA’s rules on how technical fouls can cause a player to miss time.
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NBA technical foul suspensions, explained: Fines, league leaders, records & more
An NBA player is suspended once he receives his 16th technical foul of the season.
After a player receives his 16th tech, that player is suspended for each two additional technical fouls. This means a suspension would be levied after a player receives technical foul No. 18, technical foul No. 20 and so on.
Fines
An NBA player is fined for every technical foul he receives. Fines for technical fouls are tiered, as a player is fined more as he inches closer to his 16th technical.
Here’s how much a player is fined for a technical foul in the NBA:
- Technical fouls 1-5: $2,000 fine each
- Technical fouls 6-10: $3,000 fine each
- Technical fouls 11-15: $4,000 fine each
- Technical foul 16: $5,000 fine + one game suspension
- Each additional technical foul: $5,000 fine
- Each two additional technical fouls (18, 20, etc.): $5,000 fine + one-game suspension
When a player is suspended, his pay for that game is also withheld, so in addition to the $5,000 fine, a player misses out on a game check.
If a player receives his 16th technical foul during the final game of the regular season, his suspension does not carry over into the postseason or the ensuing regular season.
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NBA technical foul leaders 2022-23
Current through games played on March 20 via Team Rankings.
| Player | Team | Technical fouls | |
| 1. | Dillon Brooks | Grizzlies | 18 |
| 2. | Draymond Green | Warriors | 16 |
| 3. | Luka Doncic | Mavericks | 15 |
| 4. | Trae Young | Hawks | 13 |
| Anthony Edwards | Timberwolves | 13 | |
| 6. | Jordan Poole | Warriors | 12 |
| 7. | De’Aaron Fox | Kings | 11 |
| Kevin Durant | Suns | 11 | |
| 9. | Jayson Tatum | Celtics | 10 |
| Marcus Morris Sr. | Clippers | 10 | |
| DeMar DeRozan | Bulls | 10 | |
| Patrick Beverley | Bulls | 10 | |
| Bojan Bogdanovic | Pistons | 10 | |
| Nic Claxton | Nets | 10 | |
| Kelly Oubre Jr. | Hornets | 10 |
Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks picked up his 16th technical foul on Friday, March 3, and he was suspended for the team’s game on Sunday, March 5. He will be suspended for each two additional technical fouls he picks up during the remainder of the 2022-23 regular season.
On Monday, March 20, Brooks picked up his 18th technical foul of the season, earning him another one-game suspension for the Grizzlies.
On Wednesday, March 15, Draymond Green was whistled for his 16th technical foul of the season, earning him a one-game suspension for Golden State’s meeting with the Hawks on Friday, March 17.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is one technical foul away from an automatic suspension. Doncic received his 16th technical in the 2021-22 season finale, but he did not have to serve a suspension because it came at the end of the year.
NBA Playoffs technical foul rules
If a player plays for a team that advances to the postseason, his technical foul tally is cleared, though automatic suspensions still exist in the NBA Playoffs.
In the playoffs, a player is suspended once he receives his seventh technical foul. Similar to the regular season, playoff techs are associated with an escalating scale of fines.
- Technical fouls 1-2: $2,000 fine each
- Technical fouls 3-4: $3,000 fine each
- Technical fouls 5-6: $4,000 fine each
- Technical foul 7: $5,000 fine + one-game suspension
- Each additional technical foul: $5,000 fine
- Each two additional technical fouls (9,11, etc.): $5,000 fine + one-game suspension
Rasheed Wallace’s technical fouls record
Prior to the rule that was put in place in 2006, Rasheed Wallace earned quite a reputation for his tendency to pick up technical fouls.
By many accounts, Wallace was whistled for over 300 technical fouls during his 16-year NBA career — that averages out to around 19 T’s per season. Of course, the rule was put in place 11 years into Wallace’s career, and his technical peak came well before.
After picking up 38 technical fouls during the 1999-00 season, Wallace received 41 techs in 80 games during the 2000-01 season — essentially getting whistled for a technical foul every other game.
Under the current rules, a player would serve 14 suspensions on the path to breaking Wallace’s infamous mark, which is exactly why it will stand the test of time.