How many fouls until players foul out in NBA Summer League?

How many fouls does it take for a player to foul out in the NBA Summer League? Players get a lot more leeway on the foul front at the summer tournaments.

Checking out an NBA Summer League game or two can be a lot of fun, especially if you have an eye on that exciting young talent your team just drafted.

But it can also be a bit confusing when that same player commits his then sixth, then seventh, then eighth foul and still gets to stay on the court.

What gives? Do players not foul out in the Summer League?

How many fouls until players foul out in NBA Summer League?

Players can indeed foul out, the rules are just significantly more forgiving than the NBA. While pros in the NBA are sent to the bench after their sixth foul, players in the Summer League don’t foul out until they have committed 10 fouls.

The whole point of the Summer League is to be a learning and evaluating experience. Having a player foul out on their sixth foul could limit the coach’s opportunity to see what they’ve got in the player under different circumstances.

Obviously, guys can’t get used to having that kind of leeway. The goal is to play in the NBA and in the NBA, availability certainly matters. Players who don’t learn to get their fouling under control during the Summer League probably aren’t going to get their chance in the pros.