Violet Palmer

A native of Compton, California, Palmer grew up in the same neighborhood where Serena and Venus Williams lived as small children. She attended college at Cal Poly Pomona,[2] where she played point guard on the 1985 and 1986 NCAA Division II women's championship teams.

In 2001, Palmer established Violet Palmer's Official Camp to train youths in the art of officiating games. The camp runs annually from July 9 to July 11.

In 2010, Palmer was part of a family team on the game show Family Feud.[3]

Palmer had officiated hundreds of NBA games, as well as others in the WNBA.

After years of refereeing at various levels, including NBA pre-season and exhibition games, Palmer was offered an opportunity to officiate the NCAA Division I men's tournament in 1996. She accepted, but the offer was later retracted when NCAA members balked at the idea of having a female referee male players.[4]

In 1997, however, Palmer and Dee Kantner were signed by the NBA to together become the first top-level female officials in any major U.S. professional sport. On October 31, 1997, Palmer made history when she officiated the NBA season opener between the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks, in British Columbia, Canada.[5]

As a woman, Palmer's achievement was received with mixed feelings. While magazines such as Ebony and Sports Illustrated generally celebrated her achievement, some NBA players were critical. Charles Barkley: "Violet, I was wrong about you. I apologize. You're all right with me."[6] Former basketball player Dennis Scott, who played for the Phoenix Suns at the time, also expressed concern at having females referee male players. Scott, in particular, worried that female referees would feel verbally or physically abused. However, Palmer has been officiating without any major gender issues so far. She was one of three NBA referees who officiated the brawl-marred December 16, 2006, game between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. The officiating crew, which also consisted of Dick Bavetta and Robbie Robinson, ejected all 10 players who were on the court when the brawl broke out.

On May 28, 2009, Palmer was hired as coordinator of women's basketball officials for the West Coast Conference.[7]

On February 16, 2014, Palmer became the first female to officiate an All-Star Game in any of the four major United States sports.

On July 6, 2015, Palmer was named coordinator of women's basketball officials for the Western Athletic Conference.[8]

On September 22, 2016, Palmer retired from on-court duties with the NBA due to knee issues. Afterward, she began work as a manager in the NBA's referee operations department. At the time of her retirement, she had refereed 919 NBA games.[9]

In July 2014, Palmer announced plans to marry her girlfriend of 20 years, celebrity hair stylist Tanya Stine.[10]

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• NBA's two female officials still crossing barriers
• NBA's First Female Referee, Violet Palmer, Retires from On-Court Work
• Video: NBA Referee Violet Palmer Being Delightful on Family Feud
• The NBA's First Female and Openly Lesbian Ref Recalls 19 Years of Close Calls