‘Magnet Ball 2.0,’ ‘Not Even Trying To Hide It’ — NBA Fans Raise Red Flags Over Adam Silver’s Plan To Test Microchip-Embedded Basketballs

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has revealed that the league is developing a basketball with a tiny embedded chip that could help officials make calls more accurately.

While the technology is meant to improve officiating, the announcement sparked suspicion among fans, who raised concerns about the possibility of a "magnet ball."

Adam Silver's Explanation of NBA's 'Smart' Basketball Raises Alarm

Speaking during a Sunday preseason appearance, Silver explained that the NBA is working with Wilson on a "smart ball" that contains a chip weighing roughly 1 gram.

He noted that a standard basketball weighs around 620 grams, and the league has tested the technology in the NBA G League and Summer League without players noticing a difference.

Silver believes the chip could help referees determine whether a player touched the ball before it went out of bounds by tracking changes in its spin. It could also provide information about a shot's arc and eventually help young players understand their shooting technique.

"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 .

"For [goaltending], you can tell if the arc changed in the shot. I think there's also gonna be other applications, ultimately for consumers."

Silver added that the technology could be used for officiating "as soon as next year."

Still, NBA fans remain wary, with some drawing comparisons to the conspiracy theory often called "magnet ball." The theory alleges that technology can influence the ball's movement to produce a desired result.

Although there is no evidence that the NBA's proposed chip is designed to manipulate games, one fan was quick to bring up the nickname, writing , "AKA magnet ball, they not even tryna hide it."

Another made a similar joke about the league's plans, saying , "Magnet ball 2.0 incoming."

Some weren't convinced the technology was necessary. One frustrated fan simply asked , "Why, man, why?"

Another reaction highlighted how unbelievable the announcement sounded: "Magnet ball will actually be a real thing."

One more user questioned the need for the change altogether, writing , "Bro adding [expletive] for what?"

The backlash reflects a wider lack of trust among a portion of fans who already question referees' decision-making and worry that new technology could create more room for controversy. Still, Silver has presented the chip as a tool for improving accuracy, not manipulating results.

Notably, the idea of using technology to help officials is not new. The official ball at the 2026 FIFA World Cup featured a connected sensor that sent real-time data to video officials and helped them identify ball contact and make decisions more quickly.

With the NBA regular season set to begin on Oct. 20, the smart ball is not yet part of regular-season officiating. For now, the league is testing whether it can make the game easier to judge. Whether fans will ever trust the technology is another question entirely.