When asked about the current state of officiating on The Pat McAfee Show, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the league is rapidly moving towards using artificial intelligence to “take objective calls out of the hands of the referees”.
Silver has been NBA commissioner for 12 years and has received his fair share of backlash due to the ideas, rules and systems he has implemented and introduced – but his latest idea may potentially be his most controversial yet, writes Rant Sport’s Wanga Charma.
NBA officiating controversies
This season has been riddled with drama surrounding match officiating, particularly with regard to foul drawing and free throws.
It has enraged NBA fans, pundits, players and coaching staff alike.
Everyone has been clamouring for change, yet this is unlikely to be what they had in mind.
After all, AI has its own controversies and one cannot help but think that those may carry over into the NBA.
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If not AI, then what’s the solution?
The game seems to be slowly moving away from so-called ‘pure and ethical hoops’, and introducing AI will expedite that move.
Basketball, as it was played under former commissioner David Stern, used to be exciting, enticing and most of all pure.
Commissioner Stern ruled with an iron fist, but he always prioritised the on-the-court product and ensured the surrounding facets of the sport bettered or supported that product.
The Play-In Tournament, NBA Cup and now the newly implemented lottery system are all ideas Silver put into place to make the league more competitive and entertaining.
Yet, if AI officiating turns out to be an abysmal failure, the NBA could lose a substantial portion of its viewership.
There are so many other concerns within the NBA and the game of basketball that need more attention, but if Commissioner Silver wants to address the officiating, he should focus on improving and upskilling the current officials and keep the game of basketball pure and free of machine interference.
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