Violet Renice Palmer (born July 20, 1964) is a retired American basketball referee in the NBA and WNBA[1] and the first female official to reach the highest competitive tier in any major U.S. professional sports league. She also earned recognition as a member of two NCAA Division II women's championship basketball teams. Palmer was the first woman to officiate an NBA playoff game when she did so in the April 25, 2006 match between the Indiana Pacers and New Jersey Nets. In the NBA, Palmer wore uniform number 12.[2] She retired in 2016.
- ^ Pantorno, Joe. "NBA's First Female Referee, Violet Palmer, Retires from On-Court Work". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
- ^ "Howard: Violet Palmer paved the way for other women". ESPN.com. November 27, 2013.