The National Basketball Association plans to implement artificial intelligence technology to automatically handle certain types of calls during games, Commissioner Adam Silver announced this week.
Speaking on ESPN’s the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, Silver explained that the league will deploy an automated system to handle out-of-bounds determinations and similar possession decisions, aiming to accelerate game pace and eliminate arguments over ball possession.
Silver drew parallels to the Hawk-Eye electronic system used in professional tennis, which rapidly determines whether balls land within or outside court boundaries.
“We’re going to move to a system like that where that whole category of calls will be automatic,” Silver stated during the broadcast.
“It’s going to be Laker ball, Knick ball, whatever it is. Those calls will be done by an AI, automated system with cameras lined around the court,” he explained.
The new technology would provide immediate decisions and enable referees to concentrate on contact violations and foul calls instead.
“It will take all those so-called objective calls out of the hands of the referees,” Silver noted. “You won’t have to deal with challenges on those calls.”
While Silver didn’t specify an exact launch date for the system, he indicated implementation would happen “fairly quickly.”
The league has progressively adopted replay reviews and centralized decision processes to enhance officiating precision, though these reviews sometimes extend game duration.
Silver emphasized that referees will continue to play a crucial role in evaluating physical contact situations, where human judgment remains necessary to assess whether players have been hindered.
“There’s often contact on every play, but that doesn’t mean there’s a foul on every play,” Silver observed. “That’s something that can’t just be done on camera.”
