If you've ever wondered why Finals games seem like they're officiated by many of the same people year after year, it's because those are senior-level referees. As of last season, 11 different women were employed in assistant coaching positions around the NBA. Women officials now make up 8% of the 75-member officiating staff as the league continues its focus on hiring the most talented and hardest-working referees in the business. Her expediated journey, as she describes, to the NBA began by navigating a very competitive, male-dominated, officiating industry where she quickly moved up the referee ladder. Women's . By accessing any information beyond this page, you agree to abide by the Privacy Policy / Your California Privacy Rights and Terms of Use. The WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google will tip off on Thursday, Sept. 23 with two first-round single-elimination games on ESPN2. The 2022-23 Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team will represent Stanford University during the 2022-23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Now, there are five different women officiating games on a nightly basis. The NBA has always been a league that prides itself on giving equal opportunity to everyone. Flores and Mosher earned promotions from the G League level, as did another pair of new hires Matt Kallio, who becomes the NBAs first international full-time official, and Robert Hussey. 2020. Most notably, then-Celtics broadcaster Cedric Maxwell used a stunningly offensive "get back in the kitchen" line for a game Palmer was officiating in 2007 (Maxwell would later apologize). Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of all the cookies. I think that the NBA is very visual and theyve done a great job of showing that. ET. Im so happy for you.. Note: This article is archival in nature. Five women officials is a step up from one or two, but still represents a minuscule percentage of the league's 65 total referees. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. As a lifelong hooper and collegiate player, Ashley Moyer-Gleich knows first-hand about those frustrating moments during a game, like when a whistle is blown against her or not getting a call after thinking she was fouled. But Holtkamp-Sterling believes shes the one paying homage and praises Palmer and Kantner for breaking barriers as the first two women officials in the NBA. Then, five years later, there was one: Palmer. With the average salary for a player in the WNBA being just $102,751, the fact that first-year referees are making so much is pretty surprising. Today, Palmer counts men she worked with among her best friends. None attempt to discount their own burdens that they overcame. Since Holtkamp-Sterling, four more women have been hired as full-time NBA referees. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Ashley Moyer-Gleich talks with Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. The NBA, like the society it's part of, inches ever closer to true equity. These officials begin with a salary of $250,000 as first-year referees. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. ET each game day. Women officials are often generalized as being too sensitive when they dont tolerate or permit certain forms of disrespect on the court. Female referees make a maximum single-game pay of $5,000 if they work the Super Bowl. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. Jelks views Palmer as a key mentor in multiple ways. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. WNBA 2021: Points of Education (Part 2) Several of the full-timers are close friends off the court. Michaela Gilmer is an Interactive Producer for NBA.com. She served as a WNBA referee in 2018. After all, she could have stayed in women's basketball, where she was one of the top officials in the college world. We all started somewhere. Before becoming a ref in 2018, Moyer-Gleich officiated games for the WNBA. Boger, 67, joined the NFL in 2004 as a line judge. February 4, 2021. We are excited for them to have reached this milestone in their careers.. But Palmer and Kantner's influence on today's generation is immense and undeniable. "Here we are in a very male-dominated space, and the league was very proactive to make sure I had what I needed.". All parties involved can talk about themes like equality until they're blue in the face, but the truest mark of that state is actually when it's not a constant discussion topic. Entry-level NBA referees earn $250,000 per year as "rookies." And as the first to reach this plateau since, she's turned around and served a similarly important role for those following her. "She did it way before all of us, before the world we live in now that's all accepting," Moyer-Gleich said of Kantner. In 1997, Violet Palmer and Dee . They were audible conversations for Palmer and Kantner, and sometimes more. ncaa home, women, post season history: men, women 2022-23 2021-22 2020-21 2019-20 2018-19 NCAA Women Referee Leaders. As the buzzer sounded, the father of one of the boys in the game approached and accosted her over her gender. Inspiration was even easier to come by for Jenna Schroeder, 35, another former collegiate athlete who, like Holtkamp-Sterling, transitioned to the officiating side following college. NCAA gymnastics 2023: Who has surprised this season? This season has seen a record 7 female referees officiate at least one game in the NBA. NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee Guide, Proficient in Referee and Umpire positions, High-level play calling, partnering skills, and tools for handling any game situation, including interpersonal communication, Understands the importance of extending into their secondary area of coverage, with accuracy, Proficient in all Umpire position requirements, Effectively the glue for a crew through consistency, teamwork, and communication - makes partners better by carrying a larger portion of the crews load than an Umpire, Capable of handling some plays in secondary area of coverage, Ability to recognize and appropriately manage shifts in game conditions (intensity, emotions, decorum, style of play etc. The three prominent distinctions among the NBA Referees are entry-level referees or rookies, referees for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and senior-level referees. Palmer and Kantner were so much more than just trailblazers; the weight they shouldered eased the burden for all who came after. Palmer recalls all the media hubbub that surrounded her and Kantner when they entered the league; when Holtkamp-Sterling did the same 17 years later, there was hardly so much as a press release -- something Palmer delighted in seeing. Camp Hill resident Ashley Moyer-Gleich is in her second month as the fourth-ever female NBA referee. Natalie Sago, 31, a 2018 addition to the league, had a birthright motivating her: Her father, Dr. Shelton Sago, was a 35-year high school official in Missouri, a local legend in both basketball and football. "Dee did it in a day where I'm sure she didn't have that support.". She worked the 2013 and 2014 NBA G League Finals and the 2014 WNBA Conference Finals. To that effect, there have been real efforts toward promoting equality and diversity within the officiating ranks, the sort that may not make headlines but truly advance a progressive agenda. The first category is WNBA referees, the second is entry-level referees and the third is the top of the line senior referees the best of the best. Holtkamp officiated in numerous collegiate conferences, including the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East and Colonial Athletic. Turner is permitted to get to a spot twitter.com/i/web/status/1, TONIGHT Long before she was hired in the NBA, the Flint, Mich., native didnt know that refereeing could be a full-time job. WNBA 2021: Points of Education (Part 1) These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. SHARE. Referee Eric Brewton during the game between the Las Vegas Aces and Connecticut Sun in Game Three of the Semifinals of the 2020 WNBA Playoffs on. "This isn't, 'Let's go out and do social work,'" Monty McCutchen, NBA's vice president of referee development and training, said. When shes not working a game or traveling to the next city, the four-year NBA official remains dedicated to the league 24-7 from studying film to communicating with her associates. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution . In March 2015, the NBA began issuing Last Two Minutes reports that detail the performance of referees at the ends of games which the . Flores has spent nine seasons in the G League and 10 in the WNBA, and is also an accomplished women's college referee with two Final Fours on her resume. Holtkamp-Sterling finds comfort in having close working relationships with other NBA officials. As WWE's New Day would say, shame! The Pennsylvania native has four years of collegiate officiating experience, with stints in the ACC, Atlantic 10, Patriot League and Ivy League, among other conferences. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Jelks describes one of the many attributes of being a great NBA official is holding players and coaches accountable for their actions. A native of Cleveland, a city she describes as being filled with underdog energy and soul, her family relocated to the suburbs where Jelks, like many teenagers, yearned to fit in among her peers. As it turns out, there are three categories that NBA referees fall into. -. Each game crew consists of three on-court officials and one on-site alternate. Kallio a native of Edmonton, Alberta has seven years of G League experience, five years of WNBA experience and worked the Tokyo Olympics. The NBA now has eight . Please logout and login again. Today, we're going to be taking a look at all three categories, how much each make and how a referee can climb their way up to the top level. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, Miller making history as female G League GM, Women referees among latest called up to work games, Female officials Q&A Part 1: Path to the NBA, Female officials Q&A Part 2: Womens empowerment, Ex-NBA player Morrow facing assault charges, Durant passes 'Big O' for 13th in career points, NBA Fantasy: Under-the-radar additions for playoffs, Magic's Isaac (torn adductor) out for rest of season, Triple-double win streak shows Jokic dominance, NBA DFS Picks: Yahoo plays and strategy for March 3. "[The NBA] worked closely with me to make sure that the locker room was where I needed it to be as a nursing mother," Holtkamp-Sterling said. WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 2) On top of that, shes getting as many reps as she possibly can at various levels and navigating up to four different sets of rulebooks, depending on her schedule. Before becoming an NBA referee, Holtkamp played college basketball at Southwest Missouri State. By TIM REYNOLDS October 18, 2021. WNBA 2019: Points of Education (Part 1) Not Available. 2021 Women's National Basketball Association. Chicago Sky centre Astou Ndour was walking down the court in . Players, Teams, Seasons, Leaders , . (Prior to entering the league, Palmer worked as a referee in NCAA Division I women's basketball.) Sago, 31, and Schroeder, 35, were two of the three people on the officiating crew . "Being able to see myself in them -- they trailblazed that.". Jelks describes people telling her that their daughters tune into NBA games she works and won't even focus on the players; their eyes only on her. Lifelong bonds have been formed within this group. She got her professional start in the WNBA, which was a big deal for her because she grew up idolizing players such as Candace Parker and Diana Taurasi. While top NBA stars such as LeBron James and Steph Curry pocket about $38 million to $40 million annually, the highest-paid WNBA stars don't even broach half a million. Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. (See the clip below.) Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. The most recent estimations put NBA referees annual salaries between $180,000 and $550,000.