Euroleague Basketball has announced a series of rule changes that will take effect starting with the first SuperCup and, of course, the new season (2026/27), in both the EuroLeague and the EuroCup.
The amendments revise the guidelines regarding what constitutes an “act of shooting” and replace unsportsmanlike fouls and technical fouls with two new categories. Specifically:
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- Act of shooting: A jump shot or other shot taken while in motion begins the moment a player moves his shoulders and the ball upward toward the basket, and the player must be in the frontcourt for the action to count. A drive to the basket is evaluated differently: the shooting motion usually begins in the area between the three-point line and the basket, as soon as the player catches the ball and continues the shooting motion until the ball is released.
- The new guidelines also cover specific situations: “rip-through” contact (a lateral movement of the ball to provoke contact) is always considered a foul out of shooting motion (ground foul) and not a foul on a shot attempt. Contact with the shooter’s hand during the follow-through is legal only if it is light and occurs clearly after the ball is released, while contact with the side of the hand, the wrist, the forearm, or the body is always considered a foul. Finally, if a defender enters the shooter’s landing area and the shooter’s foot steps on the defender’s foot, the violation is now classified as a “flagrant foul” rather than the former “unsportsmanlike foul.”
- Technical fouls are now divided into two categories. Category 1 counts toward ejection from the game and covers instances such as abusive behavior, taunting an opponent, obstructing a player’s field of vision, and feigning a foul (flopping). Category 2 does not result in ejection and covers delaying the game, hanging on the rim after a dunk, and defensive interference with the ball’s path (goaltending) during the execution of the last free throw.
- The unsportsmanlike foul has been replaced by two distinct categories of fouls. A disruptive foul involves contact that interrupts the flow of the game and puts the opponent at a disadvantage, without being serious enough to be classified as a flagrant foul (e.g., a foul for stopping a fast break or for stopping the clock toward the end of a period). A “serious unsportsmanlike foul” (flagrant foul) refers to contact that is not a legal play. Both result in the same penalty as the former unsportsmanlike foul, but only the flagrant foul counts toward ejection.
- A player is ejected after two Category 1 technical fouls, two flagrant fouls, or a combination of the two. A coach is ejected after two personal Category 1 technical fouls or three Category 1 technical fouls related to bench conduct, regardless of whether all three are charged to the bench or whether one of them is charged personally to the coach.
Other adjustments
At the same time, Euroleague Basketball announced adjustments to rules that differ from FIBA’s standard regulations and tend to apply in cases of disputed calls:
- Defensive semicircle (no-charge zone): if a secondary defender is positioned inside the semicircle in front of the basket and does not jump vertically to defend, he is charged with a blocking foul in the event of a collision with an attacking player who enters that area while in the air, unless the offensive player was not in the air at the moment of contact, had caught the ball within the semicircle, or initiated contact by extending his foot, knee, or elbow.
- Coach challenge: Head coaches are entitled to two such challenges per game, but forfeit one if they do not use it within the first 38 minutes. A challenge may be requested at any point in the game for any situation included in the instant replay system’s list of reviewable situations, with one exception: coaches cannot challenge the identity of the player who committed the foul. Referees may review the identity of the player charged with a foul on their own initiative to correct any recording error, but the coach may not request such a verification.
- The head coach is automatically ejected if he or any other member listed on the team’s bench enters the playing court and interferes with a (fast break) by the opposing team.
- Referees will no longer issue a warning before calling a technical foul for conduct issues or for feigning contact (flopping). Warnings are reserved only for instances of delaying the game.
- Brawls: In the event of a brawl, substitutes, ejected players, and other bench members are prohibited from entering the playing court. They will not be automatically ejected if they intervene to help restore order, provided that the instant-replay system confirms they did not actively participate in the scuffle.
- Signing a protest: Only the head coach may sign the game sheet to file a protest, and this must be done during the first stoppage of play following the disputed decision. If the head coach has already been ejected, this responsibility falls to the assistant coach.
- Jump ball: Games and overtime periods begin with a jump ball at the center circle. Subsequently, the team that did not win the opening possession of the game takes the inbounds pass to start the second (Q2) and third (Q3) quarters, while the team that won the opening possession takes the jump ball at the start of the fourth quarter. Players are allowed to move along the end line for the jump ball. A jump ball between the two nearest opponents is also used in certain special cases, such as a double foul during free throws or when a “goaltending” call (interfering with a ball in flight toward the basket) in a play where neither team had possession of the ball at the moment the foul was called.
*photo source: KYPE
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