LOS ANGELES, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- The NBA's first female referee is starting her ninth season on the job and Violet Palmer says she doesn't get treated any different.
Palmer, 41, said during her fourth season people stopped staring at her and now the players and other referees treat as any other referee -- she works a full schedule and gets complaints when she calls a foul.
The USA Today reports Palmer didn't intend on being the first female NBA official, but when she was offered the chance in 1995, she jumped at it.
The Compton, Calif.-native and current Los Angeles resident had an outstanding high school and college career playing basketball.
Then she began officiating high school and men's city league games. After that Palmer worked junior college women's games and then all three divisions of NCAA basketball, making it to the Women's Final Four.
On Oct. 31, 1997, Palmer officiated her first regular season NBA game -- the Vancouver Grizzlies vs. the Dallas Mavericks in Vancouver.
Now, Palmer said, she has her sights on working the NBA playoffs.
