Violet Palmer becomes first black female referee in the NBA

Jet, Nov 17, 1997

Violet Palmer helped to change the makeup of the NBA referees as she was hired as the first Black woman to officiate in the league.

She joins colleague Dee Kanter as the league's first two women referees. They are the first two women officials in any men's professional sports league.

Palmer and Kanter have extensive experience in women's college basketball and also have worked in the NBA's newly-created women's league, the WNBA.

Palmer, 33, a native of Compton, CA, has been officiating for eight years. Kanter, 37, was supervisor of officials for the WNBA. Both have officiated in NBA summer league games for the past three years and preseason games for the past two years.

Palmer began officiating after four years as a point guard at Cal Poly-Pomona, where she was part of NCAA Division II championship teams in 1985 end '86.

She told USA Today that she learned to adapt to the differences between officiating college and NBA contests.

"One, the players are extremely large, and the play is a lot more above the rim," she said. "You find yourself having to really look above that rim a lot because you have to deal with them swatting the balls off the baskets, the slam dunks and all that."

Some of the issues concerning women officials include the language the players use with refs and the physical contact. Sometimes players, in the heat of competition, pat refs on the back or behind for a good call.

NBA players are prohibited from bumping referees, but there is no blanket rule against touching.