Adam Silver addresses NBA flopping, officiating criticism

Adam Silver knows NBA fans have plenty of opinions about officiating these days.

Especially when it comes to flopping.

Appearing Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show, Silver addressed the growing criticism surrounding foul calls and exaggerated contact, a topic that has again become a major conversation during the playoffs.

Much of the recent debate has centered around Oklahoma City Thunder star and back-to-back NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the amount of free throws he generates during games.

Silver acknowledged the issue has become part of the modern NBA discussion, though he also drew a distinction between exaggerating contact and outright deceiving officials.

“[Flopping] has been a conversation,” Silver said. “I would only say that there’s a difference between selling a call, exaggeration and a true flop, which is when you’re actually fooling the referees.”

Silver suggested some level of embellishment is now simply part of the game.

“To me, if they’re not fooling the referees, it’s like OK, the players are taught to sell calls these days,” he added.

That doesn’t mean the league believes officiating is perfect.

Silver also admitted there’s always room for improvement from both players and referees.

“Can officiating get better? Of course, we’re always working on that,” Silver said. “Can officials get fooled occasionally? We’re always at that as well. The officiating is incredible.”

As usual, though, that last part will probably depend on which fan base you ask.