Foul not in the act of shooting, foul occurs on side-to-side motion during rip thru Point of Contact foul, defender makes contact to shooter’s arm after release Legal play, defender ‘high fives’ shooter’s empty hand after release, no foul
“This is an example of a defensive foul committed with the offensive player is in the act of shooting. The defensive player, Justin Jackson, makes illegal contact to the arm of the shooter, Otto Porter Jr, after the ball is released. Since the shooting motion does not end until the shooter returns safely to the floor, and the contact here exceeds the allowable guidelines, this is a foul in the act of shooting. When attempting to block a shot, contact by defenders can be either incidental or illegal, depending on the level of contact, the location of the contact, and the timing of the contact given the shooter’s motion. Note that after the shooter releases the ball, contact with the shooter’s hand during the shooter’s follow thru can be deemed legal, provided that the contact is incidental, and it is not hostile, nor overly physical.”