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The NBA’s primetime product has become increasingly difficult to watch, and commissioner Adam Silver is finally waking up to the problem.
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Silver confirmed that the league is moving toward automation in its officiating, particularly for objective replay calls that routinely slow down games during the playoffs.
Or as we all know: fail.
“I think in terms of replay, we’ll get to the point pretty quickly where, for example, on out-of-bounds plays…those types of calls will become automatic,” Silver told McAfee.
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“We’re going to move to a system like that where that entire category of calls will be automated,” Silver explained.
“Those calls will be handled by an automated AI system with cameras placed around the court. It will be instantaneous and automatic.”
Silver hopes automation will eliminate repetition delays.
Additionally, fans have become increasingly frustrated with foul calls, and flops continue to appear on the court during the Western Conference playoffs, specifically.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a press conference at the 2026 NBA All-Star weekend at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on February 14, 2026. (Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images)
At the center of much of that criticism is Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The SGA’s playoff run has highlighted the NBA’s growing beautification problem, where most units appear to feature exaggerated head movements or arm movements.
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Silver also acknowledged the frustration that comes with bullying.
“I would just say there’s a difference between selling a call, a hype and a true flop,” Silver said.
“If they’re not fooling the referees, it’s more like players are taught to sell calls nowadays.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder watches during the fourth quarter of game five against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 26, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“Because there’s often contact on every play,” Silver said.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a fault.”
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“I think technology will be really useful here,” he added.
For years, the NBA has tilted officiating rules toward offensive players.
Carrying violations are barely enforced, moving screens happen in plain sight, and defenders are often penalized for breathing in the same zip code as the ball carrier.
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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media after the 75th NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome on February 15, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Image Images)
Silver’s comments made it pretty clear that the NBA is looking to technology to clean up some of the chaos that has taken over its playoff product.
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