Palmer has officiated hundreds of
NBA and
WNBA games. After years of refereeing at various levels, including NBA pre-season and exhibition games, Palmer was offered an opportunity to officiate the NCAA Division I men's tournament in 1996. She accepted, but the offer was later retracted when NCAA members balked at the idea of having a female referee male players. In 1997, Palmer and
Dee Kantner were signed by the NBA to together become the first top-level female officials in any major U.S. professional sport. On October 31, 1997, Palmer made history when she officiated the NBA season opener between the
Vancouver Grizzlies and the
Dallas Mavericks, in
British Columbia, Canada. As a woman, Palmer's achievement was received with mixed feelings. While magazines such as
Ebony and
Sports Illustrated generally celebrated her achievement, some NBA players were critical. Charles Barkley: "Violet, I was wrong about you. I apologize. You're all right with me." Former basketball player
Dennis Scott, who played for the
Phoenix Suns at the time, also expressed concern at having females referee male players. Scott, in particular, worried that female referees would feel verbally or physically abused. However, Palmer has been officiating without any major gender issues so far. Palmer was one of three NBA referees who officiated the
brawl-marred December 16, 2006, game between the
Denver Nuggets and
New York Knicks. The officiating crew, which also consisted of
Dick Bavetta and
Robbie Robinson, ejected all 10 players who were on the court when the brawl broke out. On May 28, 2009, Palmer was hired as coordinator of women's basketball officials for the
West Coast Conference. On February 16, 2014, Palmer became the first female to officiate an
All-Star Game in any of the four major United States sports. On July 6, 2015, Palmer was named coordinator of women's basketball officials for the
Western Athletic Conference. On September 22, 2016, Palmer retired from on-court duties with the NBA due to knee issues. Afterward, she began work as a manager in the NBA's referee operations department. At the time of her retirement, she had refereed 919 NBA games. On June 20, 2022, Palmer was hired as coordinator of women's basketball officials for the
Big West Conference. == Personal life ==