"I want to go out and play with my brother and play baseball in the street and just do it all." The only girl on her little league team, she showed that even back then, she wasn't afraid to break the mold. Palmer was one of two female recruits that year, shattering the glass ceiling for female referees wanting a shot in the NBA.īorn on July 20, 1964, Palmer always loved sports, even as a young child.
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you know how you crack the door? I just kicked it right open." In 1997, she was recruited by the NBA to try out for a position in the league. "I used to wear my hair long, and they'd go, ‘Oh, your ponytail is too tight,’ or ‘You need glasses.’ I still know that being on the court when I'm doing my job, it's not personal."īefore becoming an NBA official, Palmer refereed high school and college-level games, racking up nine years of collegiate officiating experience, as well as five NCAA Final Fours and two NCAA Championship games. Palmer also knows that taking heat from fans comes with the territory. "Every now and then, I might have a little young fella come out, and I say, ‘Oh wait, young fella, I've got a lot more years of service than you. They did accept her, and with 17 seasons under her belt, her refereeing abilities are never in question, nor is her ability to stand up to the towering basketball players whose fate she helps decide.īut she admits having to keep the rookies in line. " ‘You're not going to make it.’ ‘Why are you here? Go back to WNBA.’ ‘Players and coaches are not going to accept you.’ ‘Your guys that you work with, they're not going to accept you.’ " Palmer was given her opportunity to officiate basketball games on a national level in 1997 and recalls what it was like facing adversity and discrimination, saying "Every negative thing you can think of, they've thrown it at me." "I think for all women, we can do anything we want we just have to have the opportunity to now show that we can do the job." she told CNN's Michaela Pereira. Violet Palmer didn't set out to be a trailblazer for women in men's sports, but as the only female referee in the NBA today, that's exactly what she's become.
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