Brian Windhorst scoffs at Adam Silver’s AI broadcast concept

While NBA commissioner Adam Silver is busy dreaming digital future, Brian Windhorst is ready to turn off the simulation.

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game at the Intuit Dome was a huge hit, drawing 8.8 million viewers, the league’s largest audience in 15 years. But while the new USA vs. World tournament format actually made the game competitive, the off-court conversation was dominated by Silver’s push for high-tech integration.

During the broadcast, Silver called artificial intelligence “the most significant change” in sports presentation in his lifetime, touting “hyper-personalized” telecasts that could change the way fans watch the game.

Brian Windhorst, however, isn’t exactly buying a ticket to the metaverse. On a recent episode of The Hoop Collective, the veteran reporter mocked the absurdity of the NBA’s obsession with artificial intelligence.

“Why stop at broadcasters? Why not have an AI commissioner? Why not have AI referees? Why not have AI coaches? Why not have AI players?” Windhorst asked with heavy sarcasm. “Why not make the whole thing just one giant simulation?”

Windhorst’s point hits home because the magic of this year’s All-Star game was purely human. No algorithm could predict Kawhi Leonard from USA Stripes going absolutely nuclear in front of his home crowd. Leonard dropped 31 points in one 12-minute round-robin game, shooting 6-of-7 from deep to eliminate Victor Vembanyama and Team World.

The human drama continued in the final, where Anthony Edwards secured the MVP trophy. Edwards led the young US stars to a 47-21 victory over the veteran Stripes, finishing the night with a tournament-high 32 points. Even “Wemby” brought the intensity, leading the World Team with 33 combined points and eight rebounds, proving that fans still crave the unpredictable energy of living, breathing superstars.

Silver might want to personalize the broadcast, but as Windhorst pointed out, the league risks losing its soul if it leans too far into the “simulation” aspect.