The Australian was the first female to officiate the A-League series in 2015. "We are a very empowered group of women," Jelks said. Were looking for the best referees, McCutchen said. (Suggested reading: Floyd Mayweather interested in buying NBA team). We are excited for them to have reached this milestone in their careers.. . From pace of play to call selectivity, Scotts transition from the G League, to the WNBA and now to the NBA has been a whirlwind but shes enjoying the learning process. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. 0. And 25 of the 63 referees in the G-League are women. Penn Manor wrestler Trinity Mowery taking part in the PIAA junior officiating program referees a match at the Elizabethtown Optimist Club Junior High wrestling tournament at Elizabethtown High . 3 Nick Buchert, Smithfield, Ky., 10. These goals are attainable now in ways they just couldn't have been even a generation prior. Similar to Holtkamp, Jelks played basketball at a highly competitive level before entering the world of officiating. I think when I got hired, that had its own sort of significance and same for all the women after me. (Prior to entering the league, Palmer worked as a referee in NCAA Division I women's basketball.) When we see one referee get some type of accolade, we highlight it on our pages on social media. Seven women have worked as full-time NBA referees. Natalie Sago was a ref for the G-League and WNBA. None attempt to discount their own burdens that they overcame. As a proud Black and LGBTQ woman, Palmer especially was a barrier-breaker in more ways than one. Today, though, this is frankly the bare minimum; no one in the league office is patting themselves on the back for simply keeping up with the times. $18K. WNBA 2020: Points of Education (Part 2) They're just talking about something they're uncomfortable with.". Simone Jelks worked her first game in the NBA in 2019. Officials will be evaluated after each round of the playoffs to determine future advancement in the 2021 postseason. Sago was a collegiate athlete but played softball instead of basketball. Holtkamp reffed in the G-League for six years before eventually getting the call-up to the big stage. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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. I thought that was awesome. Today, there are five full-time women referees in the NBA -- the most in the . Tickets for the WNBA's first-ever preseason matchup in Canada featuring the Chicago Sky and the Minnesota Lynx go on sale Wednesday, March 8, on International Women's Day. Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling is the NBAs longest-tenured female official. There's no jealousy here, no bitterness over an "easier" path faced by today's young women. 4 Sean Wright, Palmer and Kantner smashed this barrier; those who came after them are trying to stomp on its remains. ESPN was unable to obtain comment from Kantner, 60, for this story. Palmer and Kantner were so much more than just trailblazers; the weight they shouldered eased the burden for all who came after. She played in high school and college in Croatia and Puerto Rico before returning to the States and becoming a ref. She competed in the Sweet 16 of the of the 2010 Division II NCAA Tournament. As the buzzer sounded, the father of one of the boys in the game approached and accosted her over her gender. NCAA gymnastics 2023: Who has surprised this season? Since Holtkamp-Sterling, four more women have been hired as full-time NBA referees. "[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. The first female NBA referees Chuck Solomon/Getty Images. And that is where the NBA has been busy in recent years. Before we do, check out a compilation video of every technical foul handed out last season. The NBA feels very strongly that this should be a meritocracy. She rattles off names: Steve Javie, Jack Nies, Billy Oakes, Joey Crawford. rights reserved. Of course," Palmer, who retired from the NBA in 2016, said. Adding women to the refereeing positions has been a priority for McCutchen and other NBA executives, including Commissioner Adam Silver. Now in her third NBA season, she feels this is a whole new grind in comparison to her journey but there is no place else she would rather be. 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. Ashley Moyer-Gleich, 33, a former Millersville University college basketball player who debuted as a full-time NBA referee in 2018 after working in the WNBA, took years of mentorship from Kantner; both are from cities within an hour of each other in Pennsylvania. Tramel: Referee Amy Bonner earns ultimate compliment in historic debut season in Big 12. #NBA #NBAReferees twitter.com/i/web/status/1. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Michaela Gilmer is an Interactive Producer for NBA.com. After finishing up her studies in physical education at the University of Missouri-St. Lois decided to make her way into a career of reffing basketball. 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. Senior-level referees are the best of the best. Holtkamp-Sterling finds comfort in having close working relationships with other NBA officials. Female NBA Referees Are Becoming a Normal Part of the Game. A record 12 women worked games last season in the NBA, some getting called up from the G League and non-staff levels to help when the leagues officiating roster was decimated by COVID-19. The first time Jenna Schroeder was booed by 40,000 NBA fans as she exited the court, she knew she had finally made it. The current group of eight full-timers all did games, as did Clare Aubry, ShaRae Mitchell, Blanca Burns and Jenna Reneau. These officials begin with a salary of $250,000 as first-year referees. "Once or twice a week in the summer, we would get on a Skype call and spend an hour or two hours talking rules, talking scenarios, situations. FFC Frankfurt and FCR 2001 Duisburg. Be the first one to comment on this story. So my predecessors recognized this and put those seeds into the G League. 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. Cheryl, Robert, Matt and Dannica have demonstrated the ability and professionalism required to be a full-time NBA officiating staff member, said Monty McCutchen, the NBAs senior vice president overseeing referee development and training. From coaches to players, we have it all. Scott credits her colleagues for helping to guide her throughout this first year as a full-time ref. Women officials are often generalized as being too sensitive when they dont tolerate or permit certain forms of disrespect on the court. 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. The NBA's roster of female referees continues to grow. She's taken it to a new level. Active referees are listed in bold. According to Career Trend, those who officiate WNBA games earn a salary of $180,000 per year to start. NEW YORK - NBA G League referees Cheryl Flores, Robert Hussey, Matt Kallio and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to full-time NBA staff officials for the 2022-23 season . All rights reserved. "Her advice is always authentic.". The NFL pays referees an average of $205,000 per annum. The NBA now has eight women at the full-time referee level, the most the league has ever had at one time. Could this have come sooner? These were different times. Ability to recognize and appropriately manage shifts in game conditions (intensity, emotions . Women NBA Referees. There aren't many great answers for why 17 years passed between women being hired, for instance, although it's understandable why those at the top of today's league prefer to look forward. As our numbers are increasing, that sort of noteworthiness is becoming more about this collective experience and collective momentum that is here and thats just really, really rewarding.. October 13, 2022 9:36 AM. 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. As the NBA continues to normalize the notion of women officials in this male-dominated space, Holtkamp-Sterling is confident the league is moving in the right direction. Women's Champ Week predictions: Which teams will win the auto bids in all 32 conferences? View. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. "They congratulated me for getting hired and being in the WNBA, I was like, that . She also enjoys Bikram yoga and swimming. Holtkamp officiated in numerous collegiate conferences, including the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East and Colonial Athletic. The 2022-23 Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team will represent Stanford University during the 2022-23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Five full-time women in officiating today eclipses the total of the NFL, MLB and NHL combined. 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. . In this particular business, thats one of the loftiest goals of diversity: Sameness. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. -. any players who have declared for the 2022 WNBA draftincluding seniors, . Cheryl Flores and Dannica Mosher have been promoted to the level of full-time staff officials, the NBA said Thursday. She etched her name into the history books as the first mother to officiate a league game. If they are working full then they are paid $250,000 per season. During one year of Schroeders journey, she worked seven days a week for six months straight. To order Before becoming an NBA referee, Holtkamp played college basketball at Southwest Missouri State. Were capable and not just capable but like beyond excellent and can do the job just as well as our male counterparts.. However, her journey was slightly different from some of her female counterparts. The women that are coming on the scene now are helping us -- we're not helping them.". Floyd Mayweather interested in buying NBA team, Blake Griffin trolled by YouTuber courtside. Not only that, but the grind to becoming a professional referee requires true dedication. 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 . I feel like women, especially women in male-dominated industries, always in the back of our heads, theres a little space, no matter how well we are doing, like Am I good enough? and the answer will always be yes.. Moyer-Gleich played basketball at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. Including various bonuses and incentives, NBA referees can make a total of $550,000 annually. 2023 Getty Images. "[He] confronted me and told me I didn't belong there, working that game," Holtkamp-Sterling recounted years later. She officiated games for the B-League, WNBA, Big East, and ACC during her journey to the top. I wanted to do as many games as I could to prepare me to work in the NBA. . We can look at data, say from the 2011-12 season, to get an . Now, there are five different women officiating games on a nightly basis. Flores has spent nine seasons in the G League and 10 in the WNBA, and is also an accomplished womens college referee with two Final Fours on her resume.