Olympic basketball rules, explained: How fouls, goaltending, 3-point line & more differ from NBA

When basketball begins at the 2024 Paris Olympics, fans are reminded that FIBA basketball differs from the NBA game.

The goals stand 10 feet high and the objective of the game remains the same, but there are crucial differences in the rules of international basketball and the way the game is usually played in North America. For those reasons, it's often an adjustment for NBA players with little FIBA experience.

With basketball shining as one of the most prominent sports at the Olympics for the next few weeks, take a closer look at the biggest differences between rules between FIBA and NBA basketball.

Olympic basketball rules, explained

Game length

In FIBA, games consist of four 10-minute quarters. NBA games consist of four 12-minute quarters. Like the NBA, games feature 24-second shot clocks and reset to 14 seconds after offensive rebounds.

Timeouts

In FIBA play, teams have two timeouts in the first half and three timeouts in the second half (but only two timeouts in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter). Teams are granted one timeout per overtime period.

All timeouts are 60 seconds long and are never carried over.

Fouls

In the Olympics, players are disqualified after committing five personal fouls. Technical fouls also count toward a player's foul count.

Players can also be whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul, which is called in various circumstances. Unsportsmanlike fouls are used to describe what NBA fans have come to know as transition take fouls, clear path fouls, and flagrant fouls.

In FIBA, those fouls all fall within the unsportsmanlike umbrella.

A player can be disqualified with two technical fouls, two unsportsmanlike fouls, or a combination of five fouls that include one flagrant or one unsportsmanlike call.

Goaltending

Like in the NBA, players cannot block a ball in downward flight toward the rim.

Unique to international play, players may make a play on the ball (swat it away or tap it in) once the ball strikes the rim.

Court dimensions

The basketball court in FIBA play is slightly smaller than the NBA court. As such, some of the lines on the floor measure differently.