In an effort to improve the quality of officiating, the NBA has decided to use ground-breaking technology. Newly appointed President of League Operations Byron Spruell plans to use advanced technology, including virtual reality, to help officiating crews make better judgement calls he says in an interview with USA Today Sports.
Spruell, who took over the role last June, has several other planned tactics when it comes to improving how officials affect the game. In addition to virtual reality, Spruell plans to create an Official Advisory Council comprising of former players and executives. Notably former players on the committee includes TNT analyst Kenny Smith and ESPN play-by-play man Doug Collins.
The NBA also plans to increase its pool of officials by 25% over the next three years, with a goal of 10% by next season alone. There is also some intent to have more diverse referees, perhaps even using international officials in NBA games.
Byron Spruell comes from an executive background and used this to better assess the situation for NBA officials. “Initially, it was about observing and assessing,” Spruell told USA TODAY Sports, “and now I’m at a point where we’ve done all of that, and I can definitely see some areas for improvement.”
