NBA fires female referee
July 15, 2002 Print it
NEW YORK -- Dee Kantner, one of the NBA's two female referees, has been fired, the NBA said Monday.
"Dee has been terminated," NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said. "There are times in a referee's development that we find that a referee is not making sufficient progress in her own development and sometimes a change is needed. In this case, we felt that her termination was warranted."
Kantner and Violet Palmer joined the NBA's officiating staff in 1997. It was the first time in major U.S. professional sports that women officiated regular-season games in an all-male league. Both worked through the 2001-02 season.
Before she was hired by the NBA, Kantner was the supervisor of officials for the WNBA.
NBA officials are evaluated by Jackson, the league's supervisor of officials, staff observers and coaches and general managers.
July 15, 2002 Print it
NEW YORK -- Dee Kantner, one of the NBA's two female referees, has been fired, the NBA said Monday.
"Dee has been terminated," NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said. "There are times in a referee's development that we find that a referee is not making sufficient progress in her own development and sometimes a change is needed. In this case, we felt that her termination was warranted."
Kantner and Violet Palmer joined the NBA's officiating staff in 1997. It was the first time in major U.S. professional sports that women officiated regular-season games in an all-male league. Both worked through the 2001-02 season.
Before she was hired by the NBA, Kantner was the supervisor of officials for the WNBA.
NBA officials are evaluated by Jackson, the league's supervisor of officials, staff observers and coaches and general managers.
