Kendrick Perkins Rips NBA Officiating Change Suggested by Adam Silver

With the NBA under constant scrutiny and criticism from fans over how referees are calling fouls or not calling them, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver still believes the officiating is working well.

However, he mentioned a major potential change in officiating on “The Pat McAfee Show,” suggesting that the league will begin using an AI-based replay system.

Silver explained that this would work similarly to tennis’s Hawk-Eye system, with cameras lining the court to capture angles of the plays.

While it seems like a great idea to some, Kendrick Perkins is clearly not a fan, as seen in his reaction during an appearance on ESPN‘s “First Take” Thursday morning.

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“Y’all know how I feel about Adam Silver. I love him, but I totally disagree with him on this one. Hell no,” he said. “No AI technology or none of that stuff going on.”

“This needs to be evaluated by real officials in real time. We can’t trust these AI systems when it comes down to getting these calls right,” Perkins said.

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A controversial call came in Game 5 between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder when referees ruled the ball out of bounds off the Spurs, but replay clearly showed it went off OKC player Chet Holmgren’s foot.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson complained to the officials that they didn’t let him challenge it. Perkins said the rules require a coach to call a timeout to challenge, and he never saw Johnson do so.

Perkins reiterated that he is “completely against” the use of AI in officiating. Instead, he said, if anything, they need an additional referee out there to help make better calls.

Unfortunately, Perkins doesn’t really have much say, and given that other professional sports leagues, including MLB, use technology to assist with specific calls, it seems the NBA will follow suit. While nothing has been officially added or reported, it seems it’s in line for the future.

And it could help speed up the review process, which often takes a long time, as referees currently huddle over a monitor to discuss fouls or out-of-bounds calls. As refs deliberate, viewers await a decision rather than watching basketball.

Since “First Take” presents topics for debate, Perkins’ colleague Stephen A. Smith said he wasn’t fond of it either, but offered, “You just have to adapt. It’s the way of the world. Evolution is part of the process.”

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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 9:21 AM.