<P> In basketball, a four - point play is the rare occasion when an offensive player shoots and makes a three - point field goal while simultaneously being fouled by a defensive player, resulting in a shooting foul and one free throw attempt, or a two - point field goal and is intentionally or flagrantly fouled on the shot and is awarded two free throws . If the player makes his / her free throws, they will have scored four points on a single possession . The short - lived American Basketball League first introduced the four - point play to the game of basketball, and it was later adopted by the American Basketball Association during its inaugural season . The National Basketball Association (NBA) introduced that rule in 1979; FIBA in 1984; the NCAA in 1986 (men only) and 1987 (women); middle and high schools in 1987; and the WNBA in 1997 . </P> <P> Sam Smith of the Chicago Bulls completed the first four - point play in NBA history on October 21, 1979, in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks . Dale Ellis was the first player in NBA history to complete two four - point plays in the same game when he did so in a win against the Sacramento Kings on January 26, 1988 . On April 29, 2009, James Jones completed two four - point plays in a span of eleven seconds . As of March 6, 2017, Jamal Crawford is the league's career leader in regular - season four - point plays with 50, and 55 when including postseason play . </P>

Most 4 point plays in nba history list