Background
A native of Compton, California, Palmer grew up in the same neighborhood where Serena and Venus Williams lived as small children.
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Violet Palmer
Edit ProfileEducation
She attended college at Cal Poly Pomona, where she played point guard on the 1985 and 1986 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II women"s championship teams.
Career
Palmer was the first woman to officiate an National Basketball Association playoff game when she did so in the April 25, 2006 match between the Indiana Pacers and New Jersey Nets. In the National Basketball Association, Palmer wears uniform number 12. 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. Palmer has officiated hundreds of National Basketball Association games, as well as others in the Women's National Basketball Association. After years of refereeing at various levels, including National Basketball Association pre-season and exhibition games, Palmer was offered an opportunity to officiate the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men"s tournament in 1996.
She accepted, but the offer was later retracted when National Collegiate Athletic Association members balked at the idea of having a female referee male players. In 1997, however, Palmer and Dee Kantner were signed by the National Basketball Association to together become the first top-level female officials in any major United States. professional sport.
On October 31, 1997, Palmer made history when she officiated the National Basketball Association season opener between the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks, in British Columbia, Canada.
Charles Barkley: "Violet, I was wrong about you. I apologize. You"re all right with medical " 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 National Basketball Association 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. 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.
In July 2014, Palmer announced plans to marry her girlfriend of 20 years, celebrity hair stylist Tanya Stine.
Achievements
Membership
She also earned recognition as a member of two National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II women"s championship basketball teams.
