NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was asked on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday what he thought could be done to improve officiating. McAfee brought up a specific play that happened in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Late in the third quarter, the ball bounced on Chet Holmgren's foot, but the officials gave the possession to the Thunder. The Spurs tried to challenge it, but it was too late, and the game continued.
Adam Silver Addresses the Future of NBA Officiating
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Silver told McAfee that the NBA will incorporate an AI technology as part of his desire to enhance how games are officiated. The technology will be used on specific categories of calls, such as who gets possession when the ball goes out of bounds, Silver said.
"We're going to move to a system like that, where that whole category of calls will be automatic. ... Those calls will be done by an AI automated system, with cameras lined around the court," Silver said. "And it will take all of those so-called objective calls out of the hands of the referees. It'll be instantaneous, it'll be automatic. Just play on. … You won't have to deal with challenges on those calls."
Silver said that it will be something similar to Hawk-Eye, the virtual measurement system used in baseball, cricket, tennis and other sports.
McAfee asked the commissioner about his thoughts on flopping. Silver recognized that it's a problem and admitted that even he has difficulty in determining whether a certain player flops or not.
He said that players are taught to sell calls, which makes it challenging for officials to determine whether a player flopped. However, Silver continues to believe in the improvement of how games are officiated.
"Can officiating get better? Of course, we're always working on that," Silver said. "Can officials get fooled occasionally? We're always looking that as well. The officiating is incredible."
Silver sees technology as a helpful tool to assist referees in making the right calls, especially when it comes to flopping. He said the virtual system will allow the officials to concentrate more on subjective plays.
