Dead Ball Foul

A dead ball foul occurs in basketball when a foul is committed after the referee has whistled for play to stop or the ball has already been ruled dead, such as the ball going out of bounds.

A dead ball foul is ruled either a technical foul or flagrant foul depending on how excessive the contact is. By rule in the NBA, every dead ball foul is a technical, but not every technical foul occurs when the ball is dead. There are many types of technical fouls that can occur when the ball is dead, including unsportsmanlike conduct, delay of game, and other infractions not related to live play.

Examples of how Dead Ball Foul is used in commentary: Smith and Johnson will both receive technicals for their dead ball foul, after engaging in some unnecessary shoving after the play was already ruled dead.