Whether in the paint, the post, on the shot or intentionally in the final minute of a nailbiter, there are many ways an NBA player can commit a foul and many reasons why.
While there is a bit of physical back and forth, basketball isn't the most intensive contact sport, with many forms of touching, reaching and swatting enough to fall foul of the refs - especially in the whistle-happy modern era.
From an out-and-out legend to the Madison Square Guardian, here is the full list of every NBA player to have committed more than 4,000 personal fouls during their career in the league.
| Fouls committed | Player | Team/s |
| 4,657 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Milwaukee/Los Angeles Lakers |
| 4,578 | Karl Malone | Utah/Los Angeles Lakers |
| 4,443 | Robert Parish | Golden State/Boston/Charlotte/Chicago |
| 4,421 | Charles Oakley | Chicago/New York/Toronto/Washington/Houston |
| 4,383 | Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston/Toronto |
| 4,267 | Buck Williams | New Jersey/Portland/New York |
| 4,193 | Elvin Hayes | San Diego/Houston/Baltimore/Capital/Washington |
| 4,175 | Clifford Robinson | Portland/Phoenix/Detroit/Golden State/New Jersey |
| 4,172 | Kevin Willis | Atlanta/Miami/Golden State/Houston/Toronto/Denver/San Antonio/Dallas |
| 4,146 | Shaquille O'Neal | Orlando/Los Angeles/Miami/Phoenix/Cleveland/Boston |
| 4,146 | Otis Thorpe | Kansas/Sacramento/Houston/Portland/Detroit/Vancouver/Washington/Miami/Charlotte |
| 4,042 | James Edwards | Los Angeles Lakers/Indiana/Cleveland/Phoenix/Detroit/Los Angeles Clippers/Portland/Chicago |
| 4,034 | Patrick Ewing | New York/Seattle/Orlando |
