If there is one player fans love to talk about when the whistle comes up, it is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That is easy to understand. He averaged 31.1 points per game for the Thunder this season, got to 9.0 free-throw attempts per game, and once again looked almost impossible to keep in front.
He changes speed better than almost anyone, gets defenders off balance, and creates contact without playing wild. So when you see a fouls drawn leaderboard and notice he is not even in the top five, it feels strange at first. It goes against the way this conversation usually sounds online.
But that is also what makes this ranking fun. Fouls drawn is not only about reputation or highlight clips. It is about usage, minutes, rim pressure, transition chances, post touches, pump fakes, and how often a player keeps forcing defenders into bad spots over 82 games. Some stars do it with power. Some do it with pace. Some do it by living in the paint. Some just keep attacking until the numbers pile up.
So this list is a good reminder that the league’s best foul hunters are not always the exact names people expect, even when one of the biggest whistle magnets in basketball is right there in the conversation.
Here are the fouls-drawn leaders for the 2025-26 NBA season, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a surprising spot despite what the online chatter says.
10. Kevin Durant – 373 Fouls Drawn (4.8 Per Game)
2025-26 Stats: 26.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.8 APG, 0.9 BPG, 0.8 SPG, 52.0% FG, 41.3% 3PT, 87.4% FT
FTM-FTA: 5.2 – 6.0
Kevin Durant landing at No. 10 is interesting, as people usually do not think about him first in this kind of ranking. The image of Durant is still the impossible jumper, the high release, the mid-range pull-up that nobody can block. But that misses a big part of how he still plays. Durant is still long enough, skilled enough, and patient enough to force defenders into bad decisions over and over. He does not need to bulldoze people to draw contact. He gets there by catching defenders late on closeouts, by extending through help, and by punishing smaller wings who try to crowd his handle too much. Getting to 373 fouls drawn on a Rockets team that finished 52-30 says a lot about how complete his scoring profile still is.
The Rockets also gave Durant a setting where that part of his game had real value every night. The team closed the regular season as the No. 5 seed in the West and now gets the Lakers in the first round. On this roster, Durant was not asked to dominate every possession like he was in some earlier stops. He could work inside a more balanced offense with Alperen Sengun as a hub, Amen Thompson attacking gaps, and multiple young athletes flying around him. That actually helped his foul-drawing profile. Defenses could not load up the same way, and Durant got more chances to attack second defenders instead of a full wall waiting for him. That usually leads to cleaner drives, more reach-ins, and more late contact around the elbows and the nail.
For the playoffs, this is a pretty useful detail to keep in mind. The Lakers will likely try to live with Durant taking hard jumpers instead of giving up paint touches or easy kick-outs. But that plan gets shaky because Durant still draws enough fouls to flip a quarter even when he is not living at the rim. If he gets two defenders in foul trouble early, the whole series geometry changes fast. The Rockets do not need him to lead the league in whistles. They just need him to keep putting pressure on the officials’ decision-making while staying efficient. He has done that all season, and that is why being 10th here is not some random stat quirk. It is a real part of why the Rockets are not an easy first-round opponent.
9. Jalen Brunson – 379 Fouls Drawn (5.1 Per Game)
2025-26 Stats: 26.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.8 APG, 0.1 BPG, 0.8 SPG, 46.7% FG, 36.9% 3PT, 84.1% FT
FTM-FTA: 4.8 – 5.7
Jalen Brunson showing up in the top 10 is a lot less surprising once you think about how he gets his points. He is not huge, he is not explosive in the classic way, and he is not playing above the rim. But he is one of the smartest contact creators in the league. He stops on a dime, changes pace, leans into defenders at the right moment, and gets his shoulder into people before they can reset their feet. He basically turns every possession into a balance test for the guy guarding him. Over a full season, that adds up. Brunson finished with 379 fouls drawn, which fits perfectly with the way he controls tempo and keeps defenders uncomfortable from the first dribble to the shot.
The Knicks needed that from him all year. They finished 53-29, grabbed the No. 3 seed in the East, and will open the first round against the Hawks. Brunson was the offensive engine again, and the foul pressure is part of why. When a smaller guard can get you 26.0 points and 6.8 assists while still forcing over five fouls per game, that is a huge offensive stabilizer. It is not only about free throws. It is about getting the other team into the bonus, forcing help defenders to think twice, and creating softer matchups later in games. Brunson is one of those players who can make a defense feel heavier just by keeping the ball alive for one extra beat.
That becomes even more important against the Hawks. They have length, athleticism, and enough perimeter defenders to throw different looks at him, but Brunson’s foul-drawing skill is one of the cleanest counters to that. If the Hawks try to pressure him high, he can use their aggression against them. If they switch bigger bodies onto him, he can still create contact with footwork and timing. And if the series slows down into half-court possessions late in games, Brunson’s ability to manufacture a whistle can be a major edge. This is why being ninth on this leaderboard says something real about his playoff value. He does not just score. He bends defensive discipline until somebody makes a mistake.
8. Paolo Banchero – 393 Fouls Drawn (5.5 Per Game)
2025-26 Stats: 22.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 5.2 APG, 0.6 BPG, 0.7 SPG, 45.9% FG, 30.5% 3PT, 77.5% FT
FTM-FTA: 6.3 – 8.2
Paolo Banchero at No. 8 feels right because his whole game is built for this stat. He is one of those forwards who does not need to beat defenders to earn two points. He is comfortable playing through bodies, initiating contact first, and forcing defenders to absorb strength over and over. That is why he is already such a hard cover in isolation and mismatch situations. If a smaller wing guards him, he can power through. If a bigger defender gives him space, he can get downhill with one hard dribble. He drew 393 fouls this season, and honestly, that tracks with the eye test. Few forwards put defenders in contact so often without looking rushed.
The team context makes it more interesting. The Magic finished 45-37, tied with the 76ers, but dropped to the No. 8 spot and now head into the Play-In. First up is a road game against the 76ers, with the winner taking the seventh seed and a first-round series against the Celtics. Lose that one, and the Magic would still get one more chance to grab the No. 8 seed and face the Pistons. So Banchero is not entering a normal playoff setup where the matchup is already locked. He is entering two high-leverage games, maybe three, where every free throw and every foul on a defender can swing the path completely. That makes his place on this leaderboard feel even more relevant.
And from a basketball angle, this is one of the biggest swing skills the Magic have. They are not a team that can always rely on smooth half-court spacing or a huge shot-making margin. Banchero’s foul pressure gives them another way to score when the game gets ugly. Against the 76ers, that could mean attacking smaller wings, forcing rotations, and putting pressure on a frontcourt that already has to solve a lot. If the Magic get through and see the Celtics, that same trait becomes even more important because the Celtics will try to make every possession physical and organized. Banchero may not be the cleanest scorer on this list, but in terms of forcing defenders into uncomfortable, repeated contact, he is one of the best young stars in the league already. That No. 8 spot is earned.
7. Victor Wembanyama – 401 Fouls Drawn (6.3 Per Game)
2025-26 Stats: 25.0 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.1 APG, 3.1 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 51.2% FG, 34.9% 3PT, 82.7% FT
FTM-FTA: 5.8 – 7.0
Victor Wembanyama showing up this high makes perfect sense once you look at the mix of volume, size, and shot profile. He averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 3.1 blocks in 64 games, while shooting 51.2% from the field and 82.7% from the line. His 401 fouls drawn are a direct result of how impossible he is to guard with one coverage. The Spurs closed the regular season 62-20, grabbed the No. 2 seed in the West, and now wait for the winner of the Suns-Blazers 7-8 play-in game.
What stands out with Wembanyama is that his foul-drawing does not look like one thing over and over. Some stars live at the line through pure rim pressure. Some hunt pump fakes. Some lean on post-ups. Wembanyama gets there from all of it. He can draw a reach on the perimeter, a bump on the roll, or a late swipe after catching near the dotted line. That versatility is why this number is so strong, even though he played fewer minutes than most of the names around him. He averaged only 29.2 minutes per game and still finished seventh. That is absurd production.
And with the playoffs here, this is not some side stat. It is real leverage. If the Spurs get the Suns, Wembanyama immediately puts pressure on a frontcourt that already has to deal with his range and length. If they get the Blazers, the same problem shows up in a different way, with the opponents needing multiple bodies at the rim. Either way, early foul trouble changes the series fast. That is the value of a star who can score 25 a night and still keep dragging defenders into contact. Wembanyama is already elite at turning talent into free points.
6. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 415 Fouls Drawn (6.1 Per Game)
2025-26 Stats: 31.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.6 APG, 0.8 BPG, 1.4 SPG, 55.3% FG, 38.6% 3PT, 87.9% FT
FTM-FTA: 7.9 – 9.0
This is where the whole article gets fun. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the name everybody expects to see at the very top of any whistle conversation, and yet he finished sixth in total fouls drawn. Not first. Not second. Sixth. That does not mean the reputation is fake. It just shows how crowded the top of this leaderboard actually is. Shai still averaged 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 9.0 free-throw attempts per game, with 55.3% shooting from the field, 38.6% from three, and a 66.5 true shooting percentage. The foul pressure is still massive. It just did not land him in the top five this time.
The Thunder also give this stat a different kind of context than most teams. They finished 64-18, locked up the No. 1 seed in the West for the third straight year, and secured home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Shai was the central force again, but he did it inside a system that does not ask him to grind every late possession into an isolation. So Shai’s 415 fouls drawn are not inflated by desperate offense or endless bailout possessions. They come from efficient, controlled attacks inside one of the best team environments in the league.
Now the Thunder wait for the West’s No. 8 seed, which will come out of the play-in. That is bad news for whoever gets through. In a series setting, Shai’s foul pressure is one of the hardest things to scheme against, since he does not need to win with one move. He can get a big man switch onto him, drag him into space, and force a reach. He can beat a guard at the nail and turn the help defender into a whistle. He can also do all of that without hijacking the offense. So yes, the headline is true. Shai is not top five here. That almost makes the stat more impressive, since sixth still looks like a nightmare for any defense that has to see him four to seven times in a row.
5. Devin Booker – 430 Fouls Drawn (6.7 Per Game)
2025-26 Stats: 26.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.0 APG, 0.3 BPG, 0.8 SPG, 45.6% FG, 33.0% 3PT, 87.3% FT
FTM-FTA: 7.1 – 8.1
Devin Booker at No. 5 is a strong reminder that foul-drawing is not only about living at the rim like a power wing. Booker got here through pace control, footwork, balance, and repetition. He averaged 26.1 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 64 games, and he still forced 430 fouls, which is a huge number. He shot 45.6% from the field and 87.3% at the line, and that last number is a big part of the value. When Booker gets a whistle, it usually becomes an efficient offense right away. He is not wasting those possessions. He is cashing them in.
The Suns ended the regular season 45-37 and locked up the No. 7 seed, which sends them into the 7-8 play-in game against the Blazers. Win that one, and they face the Spurs in the first round. Lose, and the path gets much more dangerous with one more elimination game for the No. 8 seed and then the Thunder waiting after that. So Booker’s placement on this leaderboard is not just trivia. It is one of the biggest swing factors in the Suns’ week. The Suns are not walking into the postseason with a huge margin. They need their best scorer to create stable offense under pressure, and few guards in the league are better at forcing defenders into contact in the middle of a possession.
What is interesting with Booker is where the fouls come from. He can get to the line in pick-and-roll, out of a post-up against smaller guards, or on that classic two-dribble move into a rising jumper where the defender is half a beat late. He also gets defenders leaning when they try to chase him off pindowns and handoffs. So even though his game often feels smoother than forceful, the pressure is real all night. He drew 6.7 fouls per game, the same rate as Jokic and just ahead of Shai. That says a lot. Booker may not get talked about like the league’s biggest whistle magnet, but the numbers say he is right there with the best of them.
4. Deni Avdija – 433 Fouls Drawn (6.6 Per Game)
2025-26 Stats: 24.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 6.7 APG, 0.6 BPG, 0.8 SPG, 46.2% FG, 31.8% 3PT, 80.2% FT
FTM-FTA: 7.4 – 9.2
The Blazers are heading into the Play-In at 42-40, and Deni Avdija is a huge reason they even got here. They closed the season strong enough to grab the No. 8 seed in the West, which gives them a Tuesday game against the Suns for the No. 7 spot and a first-round series against the Spurs. Lose that one, and there is still one more shot at the No. 8 seed and a meeting with the Thunder. So Avdija is not entering this week as a nice surprise story. He is entering it as the main pressure point in the Blazers’ offense.
That lines up perfectly with the foul-drawn number. Avdija finished the regular season with 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in 66 games, while attempting 9.2 free throws per game and posting a 60.0 true shooting percentage. Those are star-level usage indicators, and they explain why he ended up tied near the very top of this leaderboard. He attacks straight lines, welcomes contact, and does not mind playing into bodies over and over. His jumper still comes and goes, but the pressure he creates inside the arc is constant.
What makes Avdija interesting here is that his foul-drawing is not empty volume on a losing team playing out the schedule. He used that pressure to drag the Blazers into real games late in the season. In the regular-season finale against the Kings, he had 25 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds, locking up the No. 8 seed. Over the final week, he was one of the West’s hottest players, averaging 28.8 points on 52.7% shooting while helping the Blazers clinch their spot.
3. Nikola Jokic – 433 Fouls Drawn (6.7 Per Game)
2025-26 Stats: 27.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 10.7 APG, 0.8 BPG, 1.4 SPG, 56.9% FG, 38.0% 3PT, 83.1% FT
FTM-FTA: 6.1 – 7.4
Nikola Jokic being this high is a reminder that foul-drawing is not only a guard stat. Jokic finished the season averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.7 assists in 65 games, becoming the first player in league history to lead the NBA in both rebounds and assists per game in the same season. He also tied for third in total fouls drawn, which fits his whole offensive style. Every possession runs through him in some form, and defenders spend the full night reacting late, swiping down, leaning too hard on him, or getting caught on pump fakes around the lane.
The Nuggets also enter the playoffs in a very clean spot. They closed the year 54-28, won 12 straight to finish the regular season, secured the No. 3 seed, and now get the Timberwolves in the first round. That matchup is going to be physical from the start, which makes Jokic’s place on this leaderboard even more relevant. The Timberwolves have size, length, and multiple defenders to throw at him, but that has been true for years, and he still keeps finding a way to turn those possessions into efficient offense and foul pressure.
And in a playoff series, that can wear teams down fast. The Timberwolves may try to make Jokic work through size and crowd him with extra help, but that also opens the exact kind of reach-ins and body fouls he punishes. If he gets Rudy Gobert or another frontcourt piece managing early fouls, the whole matchup changes. Denver does not need Jokic to lead this stat to feel the effect of it. Tied for third is already enough to show what he does to a defense over 48 minutes. It is constant pressure, just in a much calmer form than most people picture.
2. Jaylen Brown – 447 Fouls Drawn (6.3 Per Game)
2025-26 Stats: 28.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.1 APG, 0.4 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 47.7% FG, 34.7% 3PT, 79.5% FT
FTM-FTA: 6.0 – 7.5
Jaylen Brown finishing second is one of the coolest parts of the leaderboard. The foul-drawing conversation usually starts with guards, change-of-pace scorers, and the usual whistle debates. Brown got here in a different way. He played a power game all season, put up 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 71 games, and attempted 7.5 free throws per night. That is a huge number for a wing who still spends plenty of possessions attacking from the slot, the elbow, and in transition. When Brown gets downhill, defenders do not have many good options. They either give ground and let him reach the paint, or they try to absorb him and end up taking the foul.
The Celtics finished 56-26, locked up the No. 2 seed in the East, and now wait for the winner of the 76ers-Magic 7-8 Play-In game. That gives Brown a little extra rest, which is useful after he missed time late in the season with left Achilles tendinitis. That injury is worth watching, but it also says something about how strong the year was overall. Even with that late issue, Brown still produced one of the best offensive seasons of his career and ended up second in total fouls drawn.
There is also a reason this number is higher than many people would guess. Brown is not hunting fouls in the flashy, stop-start guard way. He gets them through force. The defender feels him all possession long. If the Celtics draw the 76ers, that pressure would immediately test a thinner frontcourt and a defense that already loses shape without Joel Embiid. If they draw the Magic, it becomes a more physical wing battle, but Brown still gives the Celtics one of the cleanest ways to win the free-throw game. Second on this list feels right. He has been one of the league’s most punishing downhill scorers all season.
1. Luka Doncic – 464 Fouls Drawn (7.3 Per Game)
2025-26 Stats: 33.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 8.3 APG, 0.5 BPG, 1.6 SPG, 47.6% FG, 36.6% 3PT, 78.0% FT
FTM-FTA: 7.9 – 10.1
Luka Doncic finished first on this leaderboard, which fits the way he controlled games all season for the Lakers. He averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 64 games, and his foul-drawing was a huge part of that package. Defenders almost never got a clean possession against him, since he kept changing pace, using his body well, and forcing contact until the whistle came.
The Lakers closed the regular season 53-29 and locked in the No. 4 seed in the West, setting up a first-round series against the Rockets. But this now comes with a real injury cloud over it. Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2, missed the rest of the regular season, and even traveled to Europe for treatment in an effort to speed up his recovery. So this is no longer only about what he did in the regular season. It is also about whether he will be ready enough to make a real impact against the Rockets at some point in the series, or if his season is truly over now.
That is why this No. 1 spot feels bigger than a fun stat. If Doncic is available and moving well, his foul pressure is one of the clearest swing factors in the matchup. He is the kind of player who can get one or two defenders in foul trouble early and completely change the rhythm of a game.
