Is defensive 3 second only in NBA? Examining league’s Illegal defense rule

The NBA is the premier pro basketball tournament in the world. There are a few differences, however, in the way the league operates and officiates games. Some rules are different in other professional leagues and do not follow the NBA regulations.

One such instance is the defensive three-second violation. The league added this rule during the 2001-02 season. When a player gets caught staying in the paint for more than three seconds, a technical foul is issued. There is also an offensive three-second violation, which is similar to its defensive counterpart.

The WNBA adopted the defensive three-second violation in 2013. Star players like the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic have said that this rule makes it easier to score in the NBA over other leagues:

"In Europe, if you have a guy like Rudy Gobert, for example, he can stay in the paint for three seconds however he wants. Just because of that rule, here in the NBA, you can have 10 more points easily."

Luka Doncic Explains Why It's '100% Easier' To Drop 30 Points In The NBA Than In The EuroLeague byu/dmister8 innba

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Rule differences between the NBA and FIBA

One of the organizations that have often been compared to the NBA is FIBA. Because it's an international federation where the best players around the globe represent their countries, rules are taken seriously by players and officials. Comparing it to the American league, however, what are the differences in rules?

Timeouts

The FIBA has two first-half and three second-half timeouts each game. All are equal in time in 60 seconds. During the last two minutes of the fourth period and overtime, both teams are given two timeouts.

For the US-based league, each team has six timeouts that can be used for 60 seconds or 100 seconds. One 20-second timeout is added to each half.

Gametime

FIBA allows teams to play for 10 minutes per quarter, while the NBA has 12-minute quarters.

Fouls

For a player to foul out in a FIBA game, a player must accumulate five fouls in a game. The National Basketball Association has their foul limit to six a game.

Technical fouls

Both leagues are the same in giving each team one free throw during a technical foul. However, the difference comes in the location where the game gets resumed. FIBA calls both teams at the center court when resuming the game, while the American league resumes the game where the foul was committed.

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