Overview
- Commissioner Adam Silver said on Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show that the league plans to use camera‑based AI, likening it to tennis’s Hawk‑Eye, to make instantaneous rulings on a category of objective calls such as out‑of‑bounds possession.
- Silver said those automated decisions would be final and would remove coach challenges for those plays so games can 'just play on' while on‑court officials remain responsible for subjective foul and contact calls.
- The NBA already has ball and player tracking infrastructure and a multi‑year partnership with Sony’s Hawk‑Eye Innovations that the league says could support trials of automated calls.
- Reactions from fans and commentators were mixed, with critics questioning the accuracy, bias and trustworthiness of AI officiating and supporters noting precedents such as MLB’s automated ball‑strike system.
- Reporting indicates the league has not set a firm rollout date and is likely to test the system in the G League first, a step that would let the NBA refine accuracy and procedures before full NBA deployment.