Basketball Rules Changes – 2025-26 By NFHS | May 28, 2025

Categories: Rules Change, Basketball, Coaches, Officials

 

Key Rules Changes

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4-22-1 & 2
Offensive players are no longer subject to goaltending violations. This simplifies enforcement, reduces ambiguity between shots and passes, encourages scoring opportunities, and minimizes confusion for players and coaches.

Rationale: Eliminates the need to judge whether a ball in flight is a shot or a pass, resulting in clearer enforcement, greater consistency, and more scoring opportunities.

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4-22-3 (New)
Once the ball contacts the backboard, it is automatically considered to be on its downward flight. Any player touching the ball after it hits the backboard, when it has a chance to enter the basket, is ruled as goaltending.

Rationale: Protects legitimate shot attempts, reduces rough rebounding situations, clarifies misconceptions, and provides officials with a clearer standard for enforcing backboard-related goaltending.

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4-34-1
Clarifies that a player is one of the five team members legally on the court at any time, except during time-outs or intermissions. This ensures consistent enforcement and accountability for bench personnel.

Rationale: Allows officials to issue technical fouls to bench personnel during time-outs, eliminates confusion, and ensures fair enforcement of penalties for unsporting behavior.

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7-5-4
Determines designated throw-in spots using visible court markings (three-point line) rather than imaginary lines.

Rationale: Improves accuracy, consistency, and clarity for officials, resulting in more reliable throw-ins.

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9-2-12 & 9-3-4 (New)
Addresses situations where a player delays returning inbounds and is first to touch the ball. This is now a violation rather than a technical foul.

Rationale: Reduces penalty severity, encourages consistent enforcement, prevents unfair advantage, and aligns with similar out-of-bounds scenarios.

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10-4-4b
Prohibits players from illegally contacting the backboard or ring to gain an unfair advantage or interfere with scoring, penalized with a technical foul.

Rationale: Standardizes and clarifies basket interference enforcement, removes subjective intent judgments, and ensures fair play.

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4-6-1a & b (New)
Expands the definition of basket interference to include actions like striking the backboard causing vibration while the ball is in a scoring position.

Rationale: Ensures officials consistently identify interference, protecting the integrity of scoring plays.

 

Editorial Changes – 2025-26

• 4-19-3c

• 4-47

• 5.2.1 Situation C

• 6-3-2a

• 6-3-5b

• 10-5-2

 

Points of Emphasis – 2025-26

• Bench Decorum and Communication

• Faking Being Fouled

• Contact on the Ball Handler