Violet Palmer is a trailblazer. University champion then first woman to whistle in the NBA, she paved the way for many little girls who one day want to be able to take part in the great spectacle that is the Big League. A significant impact in the United States, but also in the world of sport in general.
This name may not mean much to you, but yet … it is the source of many advances in the NBA in terms of gender equality. Violet Palmer’s life did not predestine her to become the first woman to referee in major league basketball in the United States, since she starts first on the other side of the game, namely as a competitor. On the university floors, she shines with the faculty of California in Pomona. Twice NCAA Division II champion in 1985 and 1986, the Compton native then tried her hand at refereeing. The click.
“From the moment I started refereeing my first games, with young children, I knew that I loved the role of referee, and I discovered that I liked it more than playing basketball –Violet Palmer
Quickly assigned to whistle during university matches, her firmness but also her ability to listen to all the players in the game make her a respected referee. Which will propel her to the heights. Thus, she will referee the NCAA Women’s Final Four as well as NCAA Men’s Division I games. The university competition will not continue the experiment because some members of the management are resistant to the idea of letting a woman referee men. It is at this precise moment that a much greater opportunity will present itself. Rod Thorn, then vice president of the NBA and head of basketball operationssees in Violet a fantastic opportunity to innovate and open the doors of the league to new actors, actresses in this case.
Tested during the 1995 Summer League near Long Beach, the results are tinged with success. In 1997, the NBA made her the first woman to referee an official meeting, namely the launch of the 1997-98 season between Grizzlies – then in Vancouver – and Mavericks. History is written, and will continue until 2016, with no shortage of other founding moments for the place of women in a league then still almost exclusively male.
In 2006, she was the first woman assigned to a Playoffs meeting, in the series between Nets and Pacers. In 2014, she became the first woman in the four major leagues in the United States to officiate at an All-Star Game. Highly symbolic, but no less historic. 19 years following his first match, Palmer hangs up his whistle in 2016, following 919 games managed brilliantly… even in hot moments.
Violet was actually on the field for the Knicks – Nuggets on December 16, 2006, which turns into a general fight. Accompanied in particular by the legendary Dick Bavetta, she will pronounce without flinching the exclusion of ten players that evening, including Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith. Over the seasons, Palmer gradually earned the respect of the players until he became one of the most brilliant elements of the NBA refereeing corps. She was also named in 2009 coordinator of the West Coast Conference by the NCAA in terms of arbitration, proof if there is that everyone can change their mind.
“From my fourth or fifth season, I felt that I was fully respected by everyone. I got it when I whistled and everyone just walked off into place without saying anything, like, ‘Okay, she’s handling it’” – Violet Palmer
Respect, even with recalcitrant players, like Charles Barkley. An element difficult to channel on the floor, who will admit to having been wrong regarding Violet, giving her the most total respect. And that’s Violet Palmer: a woman who paved the way. You see us coming, the parallel with French basketball. 1997 was also the year in which Chantal Julien set foot on a Pro A floor for the first time. Athens Olympics in 2004. Two women, two destinies which allowed others following them to prove that they had the makings of the greatest referees.
Sources : The Athletic, NBA, LNB
