FIBA Official's Training Manual 2008-2009

Advantage and Disadvantage

"Even though basketball is technically a non-contact sport, it is impossible to stop the game for every contact, as this would kill the attractive character of the game. Therefore, the referees on one hand must try as much as possible not to disturb the flow of the game. On the other hand, referees must strictly follow the rules and keep consitant control of the game.

Referees should not seek to interupt the flow of the game unnecessarily in order to penalise contact that is incidental and which does not give the player responsible an advantage or place his opponent at a disadvantage. There are some situations in which advantage /disadvantage can never be applied, such as unsportsmanlike fouls or shooting fouls before the release of the ball, but there must always be a balance between penalising the obvious and clearly illegal contact that places opponents at a disadvantage and other contacts that do not interfere with the flow of the game."

Below are 4 play situtions illustrating the application of advantage / disadvantage: