NBA moving toward AI-automated officiating system to eliminate replay delays, Adam Silver says

Dan sounds off on NBA players being the softest pro athletes of any sport. He compares the NBA to NHL players toughness and how Adam Silver has ushered in this wave of soft players.

The NBA’s primetime product has become increasingly difficult to watch, and Commissioner Adam Silver is finally waking up to the issue.

During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday, Silver confirmed the league is moving toward automation in its officiating, particularly for objective replay calls that routinely slow games to a crawl during the playoffs.

Or as we all know it: flopping.

"I think in terms of replay, we’re going to get to the point fairly quickly where, for example, on out-of-bounds plays… those kinds of calls will become automatic," Silver told McAfee.

HOW FREQUENTLY HAS SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER ACTUALLY FLOPPED TO GET FOUL CALLS IN THE NBA PLAYOFFS?

"We’re going to move to a system like that where that whole category of calls will be automated," Silver explained.

"Those calls will be handled by an AI automated system with cameras lined around the court. It’ll be instantaneous and automatic."

Silver hopes automation will eliminate replay delays.

Additionally, fans have been increasingly frustrated with foul 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 NBA All-Star Weekend at 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, where most drives seem to feature exaggerated head snaps