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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 to a claim in the playoffs.
Or as we all know it: 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.
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“We’re going to move to a system like that where that whole category of calls is going to be automated,” Silver explained.
“These calls will be handled by an AI automated system with cameras along the track. It will be immediate and automatic.”
Silver hopes that automation will eliminate replay delays.
In addition, fans have grown increasingly frustrated with poor baiting and flopping continues to show up on the hardwood 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, Calif., on Feb. 14, 2026. (Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images)
At the center of much of that criticism is Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
SGA’s playoff run has highlighted the NBA’s growing embellishment problem, with most drives appearing to have exaggerated head snaps or flailing arms.
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Silver also acknowledged the frustration of bad bait.
“I’ll just say there’s a difference between selling a call, hyperbole, and a true flop,” Silver said.
“If they’re not fooling the refs, it’s more like players are being taught to sell calls these days.”
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 piece,” Silver noted.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a bug.”
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“I think technology is going to be really helpful here,” he added.
For years, the NBA has tilted the officiating rules against offensive players.
Carrying violations are hardly 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 following the 75th NBA All-Star Game at the Intuit Dome on February 15, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Silver’s comments made it pretty obvious that the NBA is looking for technology to clean up some of the chaos that has taken over their playoff product.
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