NBA to Deploy AI Cameras for Automated Out-of-Bounds Calls
· Muhammad Zulhusni
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league is getting ready to roll out an automated system for certain referee calls, starting with out of bounds plays.…
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league is getting ready to roll out an automated system for certain referee calls, starting with out of bounds plays. The idea is to use cameras stationed around the court plus AI software to instantly figure out which team last touched the ball before it went out. Silver compared the approach to Hawk-Eye, the same tracking tech tennis uses for line challenges.
The announcement didn’t come out of nowhere. It followed a specific disputed call that likely ramped up the pressure for change. While Silver didn’t get into the exact play, anyone who’s watched a tense playoff game knows how a single wrong out of bounds call can shift momentum and spark frustration. The human eye just isn’t fast or precise enough on bang bang plays.
That’s the pitch here. The tech would take over a narrow but high stakes job, leaving refs free to focus on fouls, violations, and the messier calls that still need a human judgment. AI handles the binary stuff: whose finger last grazed the ball? The system is designed to decide that in seconds and relay the answer to officials courtside.
Plenty of details still need to be worked out. Testing, accuracy benchmarks, and integration with the current replay process will take time. But the direction is clear. The NBA wants to strip out one of the most obvious sources of officiating error. If it works, expect fans and players to stop replaying those blurry sideline clips on social media after every close game.