Violet Palmer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Violet Palmer
|
|
|---|---|
Palmer in 2009
|
|
| Born | July 20, 1964 |
| Alma mater | Cal Poly Pomona |
| Occupation | Basketball referee |
| Years active | 1997–2016 |
| Employer | National Basketball Association |
Violet Renice Palmer (born July 20, 1964) is a famous American basketball referee. She worked in both the NBA (National Basketball Association) and WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association). She made history as the first female official to reach the top level in any major U.S. professional sports league. Violet also played basketball in college. She was on two championship teams. She was the first woman to referee an NBA playoff game in 2006. She wore uniform number 12 in the NBA. Violet retired from refereeing in 2016.
About Violet Palmer
Violet Palmer was born on July 20, 1964, in Lynwood, California. She grew up in Compton, California. This was the same neighborhood where tennis stars Serena Williams and Venus Williams lived. Violet went to Compton High School. Then she attended college at Cal Poly Pomona. While in college, she played point guard for the women's basketball team. Her team won the NCAA Division II championship in both 1985 and 1986.
In 2001, Violet started something special. She created Violet Palmer's Official Camp. This camp teaches young people how to be sports officials. The camp happens every year in July.
In 2010, Violet and her family appeared on the TV game show Family Feud.
In 2022, Violet received an important award. Her college, Cal Poly Pomona, gave her an honorary doctorate degree. This recognized her amazing achievements.
Her Referee Career
Violet Palmer has worked as a referee for many NBA and WNBA games. A referee makes sure players follow the rules during a game.
After years of refereeing different levels of basketball, Violet got a big chance. In 1996, she was asked to referee a men's college tournament game. This was a huge step. However, some people were unsure about a woman refereeing men. So, the offer was taken back.
But Violet didn't give up. In 1997, the NBA hired her and Dee Kantner. They became the first women to be top-level officials in a major U.S. professional sport. On October 31, 1997, Violet made history. She refereed her first NBA game. It was between the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks. This game took place in Canada.
Being a female referee in a male-dominated sport was new. Many magazines praised her for breaking barriers. But some NBA players were not sure at first. Famous player Charles Barkley later said, "Violet, I was wrong about you. You're all right with me." Another player, Dennis Scott, worried about female referees. He thought they might face tough situations. But Violet has shown she can handle any game without problems.
Violet was one of the referees during a very intense game. This game was between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks in 2006. The referees had to remove many players from the game. This showed how tough and fair she could be.
Violet also took on leadership roles. In 2009, she became the coordinator for women's basketball officials. This was for the West Coast Conference.
On February 16, 2014, Violet made history again. She became the first woman to referee an NBA All-Star Game. This is a special game with the best players.
In 2015, she became the coordinator for women's basketball officials for the Western Athletic Conference.
On September 22, 2016, Violet retired from refereeing games. She had knee problems that made it hard to continue. She had refereed 919 NBA games! After retiring, she started working for the NBA. She became a manager in their referee operations department.
In 2022, Violet was hired as the coordinator for women's basketball officials for the Big West Conference. She continues to help shape the future of basketball officiating.
Images for kids
-
Violet Palmer in 2009
