California Collegiate Athletics Association

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.