How many teenage referees are there in NBA?

His name is Palmer. . The only female referee in NBA. She also took part in the game between the Rockets and the Hornets on Sunday.

She is the only female referee in the NBA, and only she dares to say no to big names.

When Oualett Palmer smiles, someone always thinks of Julia Roberts or sandra bullock. They are both big-mouthed beauties in Hollywood.

Palmer also has an eye-catching mouth, but it is not used for chattering, because it has a more important mission-whistling. Palmer is not a beauty, but she can still attract the respectful and curious eyes of countless men, because her whistle is likely to dominate the fate of big names.

Because she is the only female referee in the NBA.

Initially,

She wants to be a doctor.

On July 20th, Palmer will celebrate his 40th birthday.

Such an age usually means being junior to NBA male referees, but Palmer already has something to show off. Palmer has been enforcing the NBA for the seventh year since he first appeared in the NBA on June 3 1 997+1October 31.

Many things have changed, but Palmer still clearly remembers the scene on the first day: it was a regular season game between Grizzlies and Mavericks. By the way, the grizzly bear was also called "Vancouver grizzly bear". Before the game, rod thorne, vice president of NBA and now president of Nets, ran into the lounge and found Palmer who was chatting.

"Hey, Oualett," Thorne solemnly said to Palmer, "You know what? If it wasn't for your first law enforcement competition, I wouldn't be here. " When he spoke, Palmer replied, "No, you came to Vancouver purely for fun."

After a burst of laughter, Thorne was no longer so nervous, because he found that Palmer seemed more relaxed than himself. In that game, Palmer's performance was impeccable, and since then, it has also reassured NBA executives. By the beginning of this season, Palmer had performed 330 regular-season games, and even made an appearance at the All-Star Weekend in 2003, and gained a firm foothold in this land that only belongs to men.

However, Palmer still admits that he was very nervous at first. "I will never forget the moment when I put on the referee's uniform and walked into the stadium," Palmer said. "There is only one thought in my mind:' Do I have to do the same job every night in the future?' To tell the truth, I was so nervous that I didn't know what to say and almost peed my pants! "

Interestingly, becoming a professional referee is not Palmer's original intention, because she once dreamed of becoming a doctor. However, a phone call in the summer of 1995 changed her life track. Responsible for helping the NBA train referees is Wade, the head of CBA league.

"I saw you officiating at a game on TV, but I don't know if I've seen you before, and I don't know who you really are, so I called you," Wade told Palmer, and then he went straight to the point. "I know, you may feel a little abrupt, but I want to tell you one thing. The NBA will train a group of female referees. Are you interested? "

Palmer soon realized that he could not refuse such a temptation.

Later,

She made Buckley apologize.

9 years of high school competition law enforcement experience and 8 years of college competition law enforcement experience, but Palmer knows better than anyone that these resumes are a far cry from being in the NBA.

After attending two consecutive referee training camps, Palmer was allowed to enforce the law for seven preseason games, and his consistent good performance finally touched the NBA. Of course, finding the feeling quickly is also related to Palmer's own experience: as a student, she has always been an excellent player. In the four years of high school, her team won the league championship twice, and Palmer was elected MVP once; After entering Pomona University, she led the team to win the second NCAA league championship as the captain. "The reason why my level has improved so fast should be related to my being a player," Palmer also said bluntly.

The NBA gave Palmer ample opportunities to show off, but the male referees around her also generously lent a helping hand. On Palmer's "debut", the famous referee Oakes, who cooperated with her, told her, "I know you are particularly concerned about your debut, but you may not know that I am more excited than you, because I can have the opportunity to be a part of history."

However, some people are not interested in this "heterogeneous" black female referee, including the famous charles barkley. Shortly after Palmer joined the ranks of NBA referees, Buckley boasted to reporters: "This is a men's sport, and we should keep this tradition."

Palmer didn't pay much attention to Buckley's "big mouth". She just finished every task with a smile. However, when she finished a rocket game in Houston and got out of the gym to get on the bus, she met two men head-on, one of whom was Buckley.

"Oualett, I know I was wrong about you," Buckley said sincerely. "I sincerely apologize to you. Your performance has been very good, better than both of them. " Buckley speaks quickly and has no scruples. By "them", he means the two male referees around Palmer.

Palmer does not deny that he is lucky enough. "When I entered the NBA, the number of female referees in professional leagues was really too small, so I thought I had a very good chance," Palmer said. "In the beginning, I was a complete student, learning how to run and how to observe. When I mastered some skills, I found myself less laborious. "

Can NBA female referees enforce the law easily? Anyway, people only remember that Palmer is now an "only child". Kantner, another female referee selected by the NBA with her, has now been demoted to execute WNBA.

now

She longs for respect.

Palmer has a motto: where there is a will, there is a way.

At the age of 39, she is used to everything in the NBA: complaining players, screaming fans, furious coaches and, of course, intense games. Rush, the former chairman of the NBA referee committee, once said to her, "Oualett, you are really good at selling yourself, even when you make mistakes. This is really a great skill. "

"As a referee, the biggest challenge is to win enough respect, which is really the most valuable thing," Palmer said his true feelings. Once, Palmer fined a player for a foul, and the opponent immediately excused himself and said, "Oualett, if you change the penalty, I'll treat you another day." Palmer's face became serious: "We (the referee) can't accept the invitation. You can't escape this foul. " As soon as this sentence was spoken, the other players near Palmer burst out laughing.

Not long ago, Palmer served as a referee in a game between Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors, and steve javie, a famous "killer referee" in NBA, teamed up with her. When the 76ers expressed dissatisfaction with a technical foul, the referee was unmoved and returned to the lounge after the game. Javier also specially encouraged Palmer: "Our approach is absolutely accurate. Those athletes are very cunning. They are very good at worrying you. You can't trust them. Remember, we are engaged in this work (very hard), even if you 100% are correct, there will be people complaining. You may make some wrong decisions, but you must stand your ground. "

Palmer knows the pressure on his shoulders because there are "troublemakers" everywhere. "Fans will play all kinds of placards, such as' Your ponytail is too tight' and' Go back to WNBA', and they will always point at me," Parr sighed in silence. However, Noen, chairman of the NBA Referee Committee, has 100% trust in Palmer: "She is very popular in the referee team because she always maintains her own personality."

Therefore, Palmer is full of confidence in his future. "I will not only try to enforce the law in the NBA 15 to 20 years, but also try to enforce the law in the playoffs," Palmer said. "I don't think it's a problem. At that time, everyone would laugh and say,' Wow, Palmer is here.' "

In fact, the NBA has now begun to give Palmer a "privilege": every time she takes part in referee work in a city, the home team will provide her with an independent dressing room. Of course, this is a small request from Palmer.

"I just want a dressing room," Palmer said. "I'm wearing men's trousers and men's shirts. What can I do? "