Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty ImagesAs the first and only female referee in the NBA, 13-year veteran Violet Palmer is a true trailblazer. Her stern style and ability to stand her ground have kept her at the top of her game. Born in Compton, Calif., she ran the point on the Cal Poly Pomona basketball team, where the officiating bug first bit her. Before joining the NBA, Palmer spent nine seasons officiating in the women's college ranks. She worked five NCAA women's Final Fours, and officiated in the West Coast Conference, Pac-10, WAC, Big Sky and Big West. Once an anomaly on the court among NBA giants, Palmer is now just one of the boys, except maybe with a cuter haircut.
In the first installment of a two-part series, Palmer talks to espnW contributor Adena Andrews about her life as a referee and how the players treat her. On Wednesday, Palmer discusses family life and some of the high-profile incidents she has encountered on the floor.
Adena Andrews: You're a history maker. Does it ever hit you how you are changing the landscape of sport?
Violet Palmer: The accomplishment of it all hasn't really hit me. It will probably happen when I'm done. I'm so about my work and my business. I'm just about being the best referee and person I can be. I'm just staying very, very humble and thankful for my opportunity. The whole history maker part makes me feel good.
I walked into my post office and they had my picture up for Black History Month and the teller said, "My son thinks you are the bomb." I don't see myself in that light at this moment. Maybe that's a good thing.
AA: You've been in the league for more than a decade now, why hasn't there been another female to join you on the pro level?
VP: I guess I set the bar pretty high. We do have one in the D-League that's crew chiefing. If I get her to [the veterans' camp for all NBA referees], then she has a shot. Getting to that camp is the key. She is still a couple of years out but don't be surprised when it happens. She has the tools.
AA: Are there times when you just want to be a woman and not one of the guys?
VP: [In the other NBA referees], I have 60 or more of the most respectful, most wonderful men as coworkers in my life. They open doors for me. If I go to the bar I don't pay for drinks. They call me Queenie. When we go out it's, "Queenie, what do you need?" I'm in the good ol' boys club, and they appreciate that I'm still a woman and they respect that.
AA: That's great, but does it get lonely sometimes being the only woman on the floor every night?
VP: The men, they are boys, and they are my boys too. But it's still different. It gets lonely, obviously. But things like getting ready by myself in the locker room and being lonely is such a small part for me.
AA: Were the players as respectful when you first started? Did you hear any nasty comments on the floor?
VP: Nothing out of the ordinary. Never sexist. Once I thought I heard a player call me a bitch, I turned around and said, "Did you just call me a bitch?" He said "Oh hell naw, I would never disrespect you like that," and he apologized profusely. I have never gotten the PMS joke. They see a referee that can do the job and that's all they care about.
AA: When did you realize you had their respect?
VP: Around my fourth or fifth season. You know you have arrived when you blow your whistle and everyone goes to their spot. It's just like, "Yeah, she got it."
AA: Now that you are a veteran in the game, how do players treat you?
VP: When I walk on the floor players are like, "Where you been? You don't like us no more? We thought our girl left us." Those are subtle compliments coming from a player. Our players are more respectful than the media when it comes to me. If I cut my hair, they will say, "Oh, cute haircut, Violet. The braids we like, but this is cute." Or in the preseason they might say, "All right V, we see you, you look good. You've been working out all summer too." They respect hard work.
AA: Do you get the friendly "sports pat on the butt" from players?
VP: I get pats on the butt and I get hugs. I don't mind as long as it fits the time of the game. They know when my voice changes and it's time for business. They shake all the other guys' hands but they hug and kiss me. As long as they do it respectfully, I'm fine.
