{"id":444,"date":"2024-07-22T02:35:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T09:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bricejonz.com\/?p=444"},"modified":"2024-10-22T13:03:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T20:03:46","slug":"violet-palmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bricejonz.com\/?p=444","title":{"rendered":"VIOLET PALMER"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Through hard work and dedication, Violet Palmer has ensured her name will stand in the basketball record books, both in the CCAA and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
 
Palmer played for Cal Poly Pomona from 1982-86 and helped build the Broncos into an NCAA Division II powerhouse. As the starting point guard, she led the Broncos to back-to-back National Championships (1985 and 1986), three regional titles, and four CCAA regular-season championships. She finished her career in the top 10 all-time in steals, and the Broncos went 107-20 (45-2 CCAA) in her four seasons.
 
The Compton native carried her love for the game beyond her collegiate years and became the first woman to officiate in the NBA or any major professional sport in the United States. Palmer made history as the first female referee on Oct. 31, 1997, when she officiated the NBA season opener between the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks. Palmer became the first female to officiate an NBA playoff game (2006).
 
Palmer officiated in the WNBA during its inaugural year and worked the WBNA Finals multiple times. She won the Naismith Award for Official of the Year in 1999 and officiated the 2014 NBA All-Star Game. She retired in 2016, having officiated 919 NBA games.
 
Palmer has continued to give back to the sport at the collegiate level, where she serves as women’s basketball Coordinator of Officials for the Pac-12, WCC, WAC, Big Sky, and Big West conferences. During her career, she worked five NCAA Women’s Final Fours and two NCAA Women’s National Championships.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Violet Palmer Inducted into Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame<\/strong> \u2013 The Class of 2024 will be inducted on Saturday, April 27, in Knoxville, Tenn., at the Tennessee Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Violet Palmer, in her 15th season as the West Coast Conference\u2019s Coordinator of Women\u2019s Basketball Officials, will be inducted into the Women\u2019s Basketball Hall of Fame. The 2024 Women\u2019s Basketball Hall of Fame class of inductees was announced Thursday on ESPN, during halftime of the North Carolina-South Carolina game.
 
The Women\u2019s Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women\u2019s basketball. The 2024 induction ceremony will mark the 25th Class of inductees to be honored by the Women\u2019s Basketball Hall of Fame.
 
The Class of 2024 will be inducted on Saturday, April 27, in Knoxville, Tenn., at the Tennessee Theatre. The members of the class are Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Rita Gail Easterling, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Sue Phillips, Mary \u201cRoonie\u201d Scovel and Palmer. The Class is made up of four players, two coaches, and one official.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Palmer\u2019s officiating career included stops at many of the highest levels of basketball. She was assigned five NCAA Women\u2019s Final Fours and two NCAA Women\u2019s Championship games. She worked in the WNBA, including the 1997 finals. That same year she made history, becoming the first female to officiate an NBA game when she refereed the season opener. In 2006, she became the first woman to officiate an NBA playoff game, and in 2014 became the first woman to officiate the league\u2019s all-star game. In total, she worked nine NBA postseason assignments.
  
\u201cWe congratulate Violet on a well-deserved honor,” said WCC Commissioner Stu Jackson. “She is exceptional and we are very proud to have her as an ambassador for the WCC. Violet is a well-regarded mentor of WCC officials following a distinguished career as an official at the highest levels. We are thrilled she is deservingly recognized as a Hall of Famer and look forward to celebrating her as part of the 2024 Women\u2019s Basketball Hall of Fame Class next April.\u201d  
 
While still officiating in the NBA, Palmer began transitioning into administrative roles within the profession, serving as coordinator of officiating for women\u2019s basketball conferences in the West, including the WCC. After hanging up the whistle in 2016, she also served as a manager of the NBA\u2019s referee operations department.
 
As part of her role as Coordinator of Women\u2019s Basketball Officials for the WCC, Palmer is responsible for recruiting and assigning officials for games hosted by WCC institutions. She also supervises, trains, mentors, and evaluates WCC officials and works with the Conference Office on an officiating policy and procedures manual.
 
In August, Palmer received the Gold Whistle Award, presented by the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO). It is regarded as the highest honor in basketball officiating. Palmer served on the NASO board of directors from 2005-08.<\/p>\n\n\n

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