NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league could soon automate out-of-bounds calls using an AI camera system, a proposal he raised during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show after a disputed call in a playoff game between Oklahoma City and an unspecified opponent earlier this week.
Silver described the system as similar to Hawk-Eye, the Sony-owned camera technology used in tennis, baseball, cricket and soccer to track close plays. "We're gonna move to a system like that, where that whole category of calls will be automatic," Silver said. He said cameras positioned around the court would handle "so-called objective calls," removing them from referees' discretion. "It'll just be instantaneous, it'll be automatic, just play on," he added.
The commissioner's comments followed a Game 5 controversy in which referees missed an out-of-bounds call late in the game and declined to overturn it after huddling to review. The sequence drew widespread criticism online, with fans questioning the overall quality of playoff officiating. Silver defended the league's referees, saying, "The officiating is incredible."
Flopping has also been a persistent issue during the 2026 playoffs, with players exaggerating or fabricating contact to draw penalties. According to the source, certain players have flopped on roughly one in every ten field goal attempts. Silver suggested AI could free officials to focus more on physical violations like flopping, though he did not specify whether the system would be ready for the 2026-2027 season.
Hawk-Eye, which Sony says is accurate within 0.1 inches, has faced its own controversies and is not a substitute for in-the-moment refereeing, a distinction other league commissioners appear to recognize. Fan reaction to Silver's proposal was largely negative. One Los Angeles Lakers fan wrote on X, "Idc how much I complain about the refs, I don't want AI in my basketball game. Smh." Writer and New York Knicks fan Noah Kulwin said, "It's like everything he says is supposed to be a way to decrease confidence in the product. Worst commish in sports or worst commish in sports?"
Whether the NBA pursues the automated system for the upcoming season remains unclear. The debate highlights a broader tension: whether technology can resolve officiating errors or whether the league should instead focus on enforcing existing rules and acknowledging mistakes.
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