NBA commissioner Adam Silver met with the media at the Intuit Dome for his annual NBA All-Star Saturday press conference. And as part of his opening statement, Silver explained that artificial intelligence will have a massive impact “in how sports are presented.”
“Many of you had an opportunity to attend our technology summit on Friday, where we had several different panels talking about how technology is impacting sports, predictions on how it will change the coverage of sports, and the playing and the analytics around sports in the future,” Silver said. “And not surprisingly, so much of the discussion was around artificial intelligence.”
“As I look at the world and the predictions, we’re seeing much of it already on how AI is changing everything about our personal lives and our business lives; for me, there’s no doubt that AI will have the same impact on sports,” Silver continued. “One area in particular that I think is worth addressing is the impact on the fan experience. And one of the things that we’re beginning to see already is how we’re going to be able to, more than personalize, almost hyper-personalize our telecasts, allowing people to experience the game in any way they want. Many of you have probably experimented with this already, but in essence, you’ll be able to hear the game in any dialect, any language, you’ll be able to hear a hardcore X’s and O’s commentary, maybe one that’s more comedic if that’s what you’re interested, or somebody for a novice explaining each foul and the rules as it goes along.”
Adam Silver: “There’s no doubt that AI will have the same impact on sports… how we’re going to be able to [hyper-personalize] our telecasts… We’re about to witness probably the most significant change, certainly in my lifetime, in how sports are presented.” 🏀📺🎙️ #NBA pic.twitter.com/ZS6ZZjvidv
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 14, 2026
“To me, we’re about to witness probably the most significant change, certainly in my lifetime, in how sports are presented,” Silver explained. “Beyond that, the hyper-personalization, if people want to shop during a game, if they want to be on social media and having an ongoing discussion about some aspect about the game, I think it’s a really exciting moment and transformation.”
“We’ve enjoyed working with our longtime partner Disney, which is ESPN and ABC, on this, and of course, NBC and Peacock are now back in the fold, and Amazon Prime. They’re all experimenting and doing incredible things,” Silver said. “And I think it’s going to make the game that much more accessible for fans on a global basis.”
So, look for the NBA — and surely other sports/leagues — and its broadcast partners to lean heavily into what AI can provide for presentation enhancements and versatility in the coming years. And expect some of the changes and AI usage to be controversial among fans.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.