Draymond Green warns smart ball could turn NBA refs into ‘robots’

Draymond Green isn’t sold on the NBA’s smart basketball. Speaking on The Draymond Green Show this week, the Golden State Warriors forward said commissioner Adam Silver’s plan to put a tracking chip inside the game ball is another step toward taking human judgment away from referees.

“I think more and more things like this are continuing to turn officials into robots,” Green said, as reported by BasketballNews.

“It’s actually creeping into the actual gameplay”

Green said the smart ball stands out to him because it goes beyond replay review and puts technology inside live play.

“I find this one interesting because this is AI continuing to creep into basketball,” Green said. “It’s actually creeping into the actual gameplay of basketball.”

He described the bigger concern as a loss of feel. “I just think more and more things like this take away the natural element of the game of basketball,” he said.

A clip of Green’s smart-ball segment from The Draymond Green Show circulated on X:

Draymond Green speaks out on Ai
entering the NBA, with Adam Silver’s plan to test microchip-embedded basketballs. Green also highlights players' hesitation toward the heavy use of tracking technology in the league , noting that players feel constantly monitored. He also warns… pic.twitter.com/J1kTBTNcMR

— NBA Hoops (@Thechat101) October 13, 2026

What Silver has proposed

Green was responding to Silver’s comments about a ball the league is developing with Wilson, which carries a chip of roughly one gram. The chip tracks movement, spin and changes in trajectory. Silver said the main early use would be officiating: helping referees tell whether a player touched the ball before it went out of bounds, and whether a shot’s path was altered on a possible goaltending play.

Silver said the ball has been tested in the G League, Summer League and some preseason games, and that players could not tell the difference between balls with and without the chip. He said the league could use it for officiating as soon as next year, but it has not decided which tracking features would be active in games. WhyNBA covered the commissioner’s announcement in Adam Silver’s smart-ball plan.

Why the pushback matters

Green is one of the league’s most outspoken veterans, and his reaction gives the smart-ball plan a prominent player voice of skepticism. Players and coaches have already complained about long video reviews breaking up the flow of games, and the smart ball raises a related question: how much the league should let technology decide calls that referees now make in real time.

For now, the ball is still in testing, and the league has not set a timeline for any in-game use beyond Silver’s “as soon as next year” target. More on Green’s career and current season is on his WhyNBA player page.

WhyNBA Sports Desk

The WhyNBA Sports Desk writes basketball explainers and dated news briefs. Official references stay with each guide.