Violet Palmer: Difference between revisions
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Worst ref currently officiating in the NBA.</ref> |
Worst ref currently officiating in the NBA.</ref> |
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Known mainly for screwing the Philadelphia 76ers every chance she gets. |
Known mainly for screwing the Philadelphia 76ers every chance she gets. Viva la stool. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 05:30, 23 February 2012
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Violet Palmer (born July 20, 1964 in Lynwood, California) is an NBA and WNBA basketball referee and the first female official to reach the highest competitive tier in a major U.S. professional sport. She also earned recognition as a member of two NCAA Division II women's championship basketball teams. Palmer was the first woman to officiate an NBA playoff game when she did so in the April 25, 2006 match between the Indiana Pacers and New Jersey Nets. In the NBA, Palmer wears uniform number 12.
Biography
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,[1] 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 refereeing. The camp runs annually from July 9 to July 11.
In 2009, Palmer was part of a family team on the game show Family Feud.
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.[citation needed]
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.[2]
As a woman, Palmer's achievement was received with mixed feelings. While magazines such as Ebony[citation needed] and Sports Illustrated[citation needed] generally celebrated her achievement, some NBA players were critical.[citation needed] 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.”[3] He would later apologize: "Violet, I was wrong about you. I apologize. You're all right with me."[4] Former basketball player Dennis Scott, who played for the Phoenix Suns at the time, also expressed concern at having females referee male players.[citation needed] 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.[5]
Known mainly for screwing the Philadelphia 76ers every chance she gets. Viva la stool.
References
- ^ "Cal Poly Pomona". CSU Mentor. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
- ^ http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/052809aaa.html
- ^ "Look, no one's knocking your 9-to-5 gig". The Advocate. Retrieved July 17, 2007.
- ^ "Violet Palmer Biography". Notable Biographies.
- ^ http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/052809aaa.html Worst ref currently officiating in the NBA.