NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s latest take on the league’s officiating has not gone over well with viewers.
With referees catching major flak during this year’s playoffs for seemingly enabling flopping, particularly from the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Silver’s firm backing of the officials left the NBA world in disbelief.
NBA World Calls Out Adam Silver for Defending Controversial Officiating
Speaking on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the commissioner weighed in on multiple league-wide concerns, including flopping.
“It’s been a conversation. I would only say that there’s a difference between selling a call, exaggeration, and a true flop, which is where you’re actually fooling the referees,” Silver began.
“I think sometimes even as I sit in the stands at games, players may be falling down, players may be reacting to a call. But then, to me, if they’re not fooling the referees, it’s like, ‘Okay. That’s like, the players are taught to sell calls these days.’
“I mean, can officiating get better? Of course, we’re always working on that. Can officials get fooled occasionally? We’re always looking at that as well. But the officiating is incredible.”
“Flopping has been a conversation..
There’s a difference between selling a call, exaggeration, and a true flop..
Officials can be fooled sometimes but our officiating is incredible” ~ Adam Silver #PrimetimeSports pic.twitter.com/V0XLwaTWjo
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 27, 2026
The tail end of Silver’s quote created buzz on X, with the NBA community strongly pushing back.
“What games does he watch?” Spurs analyst Michael Rehome asked.
“Our officiating is incredible” – Adam Silver
What games does he watch. pic.twitter.com/zE8afv5eEN
— Michael Rehome (@MichaelRehome) May 27, 2026
Fansided’s Clayton Anderson added, “The fact that Adam Silver is using valuable time to parse out the difference between ‘selling a call’ and ‘fooling the refs/flopping’ is problematic enough for me. Sounds like not enough will be made of it in the immediate future, which will continue a lot of the bad public rhetoric surrounding the @NBA/@OfficialNBARefs.”
The fact that Adam Silver is using valuable time to parce out the difference between “selling a call” and “fooling the refs/flopping” is problematic enough for me.
Sounds like not enough will be made of it in the immediate future, which will continue a lot of the bad public… https://t.co/cBADvlcR2M
— Clayton Anderson | HTX Sports (@Clay_HTXSports) May 28, 2026
“No way Adam Silver just tried to say ‘The officiating is incredible,'” Lakers fan account LakeShowYo reacted.
No way Adam Silver just tried to say “The officiating is incredible” 😭 pic.twitter.com/GAFGmdoutK
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 28, 2026
Content creator Jon Root responded with troubling facts about flopping and concluded by declaring Silver’s take, “Absolutely insane.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the flopping issues on The Pat McAfee Show tonight, yet refused to take accountability for how he & the league have gentle-parented flopping for YEARS, which has led to this MASSIVE issue we have now…
HERE ARE SOME CRAZY FACTS ABOUT… pic.twitter.com/Og9TK9Euxh
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) May 27, 2026
“Adam Silver is either in DENIAL or he’s just flat out LYING. Pat McAfee brought up the OKC Thunder flopping. Silver: ‘The officiating is incredible,'” Hater Report asserted.
Adam Silver is either in DENIAL or he’s just flat out LYING. Pat McAfee brought up the OKC Thunder flopping.
Silver: “The officiating is incredible” 😭💀 pic.twitter.com/cFPgY1A2vq
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) May 28, 2026
Tuesday’s Game 5 Western Conference finals clash between the San Antonio Spurs and OKC featured several questionable calls that many claimed played a role in the Spurs’ 127-114 road loss.
The focus was on the refereeing in the third quarter when a missed goaltending call drew fans’ ire. A second-quarter foul called on Dylan Harper after the Spurs rookie was elbowed in the throat by Thunder guard Jared McCain also sparked controversy. Meanwhile, accusations of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander benefitting from flopping his way to the free-throw line persisted.
Silver noted that an AI-automated system will eventually be put in place to “take all of those so-called objective calls out of the hands of the referees,” though that likely won’t do anything to quell frustrations about his avid support of this season’s officiating.
