Violet Palmer - Referee Career

Referee Career

Palmer has 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.

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

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. NBA star Charles Barkley was quoted as saying “I don’t think women should be in the army, and I don’t think they should be NBA refs.” He would later apologize: "Violet, I was wrong about you. I apologize. You're all right with me." 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.