NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Prime-time NBA broadcasts have become increasingly difficult to watch, and commissioner Adam Silver is finally waking up to the problem.
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Wednesday, Silver confirmed that the league is moving toward automating its officiating, particularly for objective replay calls that routinely slow down games during the playoffs.
Or as we all know: the flop.
“I think in terms of replay, we’re going to get to the point pretty quickly where, for example, on out-of-bounds plays…those kinds of calls will become automatic,” Silver told McAfee.
How often has SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER ACTUALLY FAILED TO GET FALSE CALLS DURING NBA PLAYOFFS?
“We’re going to move to a system like this where this whole category of calls will be automated,” Silver explained.
“These calls will be handled by an automated AI system with cameras lined up around the field. It will be instantaneous and automatic.”
Silver hopes automation will eliminate proofreading delays.
Additionally, fans are becoming increasingly frustrated with crude attacks, and failures continue to appear on the hard court during the Western Conference playoffs, in particular.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a press conference during 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 this criticism is Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The SGA playoffs have highlighted the NBA’s growing beautification problem, where most practices seem to feature exaggerated head snaps or arm flailing.
MLB VOTES TO ALLOW UMPS ROBOTS FOR CHALLENGES DURING 2026 SEASON
Silver also acknowledged the frustration with bad bait.
“I would only say that there is a difference between selling a call, a hype and an outright flop,” Silver said.
“If they don’t mislead the referees, it’s more like players are being taught to sell decisions these days.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder watches the fourth quarter of Game 5 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 noted.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s any wrongdoing.”
WARRIORS’ STEVE KERR CALLS ON NBA REFEREES TO WHISTLE MORE TRAVEL VIOLATIONS: ‘IT’S A PROBLEM’
“I think technology is really going to help here,” he added.
For years, the NBA has skewed officiating rules toward offensive players.
Carry violations are barely enforced, moving screens happen in plain sight, and defenders are often punished for breathing the same zip code as the ball handler.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media after the 75th NBA All-Star Game at the Intuit Dome on February 15, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Silver’s comments made it pretty clear that the NBA was looking for technology to clean up some of the chaos that has engulfed its playoff product.
Send us your impressions: [email protected] / Follow us on X: @alejandroaveela
