Draymond Green isn’t entirely convinced by the NBA’s latest technological experiment.
The Golden State Warriors forward has questioned the league’s plans to introduce a new smart basketball designed to help referees make more accurate decisions during games.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently revealed that the league has been testing a Wilson basketball containing a microchip sensor capable of detecting changes in the ball’s movement.
But Green believes the growing reliance on technology could come at the expense of basketball’s natural feel.
“This is AI continuing to creep into basketball,” Green said on his podcast. “It’s actually creeping into the actual gameplay of basketball, and this is right there with it. I just find it interesting because it’s more and more things like this that it’s turning officials into robots. I just think more and more things like this take away the natural element of the game of basketball.”
The technology has already undergone testing in the G League and NBA Summer League, with Silver revealing that players did not notice the additional one gram of weight caused by the sensor.
The commissioner believes the innovation could prove particularly useful when reviewing controversial out-of-bounds and goaltending decisions.
“We think it’s an opportunity where, by any change in the spin of the ball, you can tell, for example, if a finger touched the ball and it was going out of bounds,” Silver explained during a preseason broadcast. “For goaltending, you can tell if the arc changed in the shot.”
The proposed introduction follows the NBA’s growing investment in officiating technology, including its partnership with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations and the use of advanced optical tracking systems.
However, despite questioning the direction the league is heading, Green acknowledged that removing human error could have some benefits.
“Now you could say it’s taking away more of the human error. For some people out there who say the NBA is rigged, or the referees are betting on games, and all these things people are saying, this could help with that,” Green added.
The Warriors veteran’s comments highlight the debate surrounding the NBA’s increasing use of technology, with the league looking to improve officiating accuracy while maintaining the human element of the sport.
The NBA has yet to announce when the smart basketball could be introduced into regular-season games.
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