SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Violet Palmer, in her 15th season as the West Coast Conference’s Coordinator of Women’s Basketball Officials, will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. The 2024 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class of inductees was announced Thursday on ESPN, during halftime of the North Carolina-South Carolina game.
 
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women’s basketball. The 2024 induction ceremony will mark the 25th Class of inductees to be honored by the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
 
The Class of 2024 will be inducted on Saturday, April 27, in Knoxville, Tenn., at the Tennessee Theatre. The members of the class are Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Rita Gail Easterling, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Sue Phillips, Mary “Roonie” Scovel and Palmer. The Class is made up of four players, two coaches, and one official.
  
Palmer’s officiating career included stops at many of the highest levels of basketball. She was assigned five NCAA Women’s Final Fours and two NCAA Women’s Championship games. She worked in the WNBA, including the 1997 finals. That same year she made history, becoming the first female to officiate an NBA game when she refereed the season opener. In 2006, she became the first woman to officiate an NBA playoff game, and in 2014 became the first woman to officiate the league’s all-star game. In total, she worked nine NBA postseason assignments.
  
“We congratulate Violet on a well-deserved honor," said WCC Commissioner Stu Jackson. "She is exceptional and we are very proud to have her as an ambassador for the WCC. Violet is a well-regarded mentor of WCC officials following a distinguished career as an official at the highest levels. We are thrilled she is deservingly recognized as a Hall of Famer and look forward to celebrating her as part of the 2024 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class next April.”  
 
While still officiating in the NBA, Palmer began transitioning into administrative roles within the profession, serving as coordinator of officiating for women’s basketball conferences in the West, including the WCC. After hanging up the whistle in 2016, she also served as a manager of the NBA’s referee operations department.
 
As part of her role as Coordinator of Women’s Basketball Officials for the WCC, Palmer is responsible for recruiting and assigning officials for games hosted by WCC institutions. She also supervises, trains, mentors, and evaluates WCC officials and works with the Conference Office on an officiating policy and procedures manual.
 
In August, Palmer received the Gold Whistle Award, presented by the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO). It is regarded as the highest honor in basketball officiating. Palmer served on the NASO board of directors from 2005-08.