THOUGHTS | THE BOLICK "ONG BAK" SHOT

40 minutes ago
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It’s a rare case: a player making a clutch play while simultaneously committing a flagrant foul. The feat is weird as hell, and Robert Bolick made the impossible possible when his NLEX Road Warriors battled the TNT Tropang 5G in the 2025–26 PBA Commissioner’s Cup elimination round.

With six seconds left and the Road Warriors down by six, Bolick threw up an insane four-point play to trim the lead to two, 99–97. However, there was a caveat. When Bolick unleashed his quadruple, he unfortunately Ong-Bak’ed Calvin Oftana, with Oftana’s face hitting Bolick’s knee in the process.

Of course, that was part of his shooting motion. However, kneeing someone in the face has to entail some kind of violation.

But here lies the question—who is at fault here?

So I asked ChatGPT.

Short answer: Yes, it can be correct to call a flagrant foul on the shooter, but only under specific conditions.

What a flagrant foul means

In leagues like the NBA, FIBA, and the PBA, a flagrant/unsportsmanlike foul is called when contact is:

excessive, or
dangerous, or
shows reckless disregard for an opponent’s safety

So the key question referees ask is not just who caused the contact, but how dangerous the contact was.

When a shooter can be called for a flagrant foul

A shooter who hits a defender in the face with a knee can be assessed a flagrant foul if:

The leg/knee was extended unnaturally
The motion was reckless or careless
The contact was above the shoulders, which is treated more seriously

Even if the shot goes in, referees can still rule:

Basket counts
Flagrant foul on the shooter
Opponent gets free throws and possession

This is rare, but it does happen—especially when the knee or foot swings outward and makes hard contact with the head.

When it would not be a flagrant foul

It should not be called flagrant if:

The shooter’s motion was clearly natural
The defender moved into the shooter’s space late
The contact looked unavoidable and not reckless

In that case, referees usually either:

call a defensive foul, or
Let the play continue with no foul

So, was the call “correct”?

It is correct only if the replay shows that the shooter’s knee:

came out dangerously, or
created unnecessary contact with the head.

If it were a normal jump shot and the defender just happened to be there, then calling a flagrant on the shooter would generally be seen as too harsh or incorrect.