On October 31, 1997, 33-year-old Violet Palmer becomes the first woman to officiate an NBA game. Despite the watershed moment, there is little reaction from the crowd when she is announced before the tip-off of the Dallas Mavericks-Vancouver Grizzlies game. "This is a dream come true, but it's come about by a lot of hard work," says Palmer.
"This is a night we'll all look back on in 25 years and say, 'That opened the door,'" said NBA vice president of Rod Thorn, who attended the historic game in Vancouver. "It's only appropriate that we be here. I don't know who's more excited, Violet or me."
Palmer, who had officiated women's Final Four, WNBA and NBA Summer League games prior to her first NBA regular-season game, was eager for the challenge. Years after her debut, she told USA Today: "I was the No. 3 referee in the world for women's basketball. I had everything: The Final Four. Big TV games. All the limelight I wanted… But my personality is if you give me a challenge, I'm going to take it."
