Violet Palmer’s entire life has been immersed in basketball, having learned the intricacies of the game since grade school. Because of her drive and competitiveness, she quick made her mark, excelling in all facets of the game.

Violet broke gender barriers by becoming the first female referee in a major professional sport, the National Basketball Association (NBA). In nearly two decades as an NBA official, Violet officiated 930 regular season games, 9 playoff games, and the 2014 All-Star game.

In 2016, after a stellar career and earning the respect of her peers, Violet retired from active officiating. She did not veer off too far, however, as she continues to consult for the NBA and train new referees.

Violet retired from the NBA but not from basketball. In 2009, while officiating in the NBA, she set her eyes on the Collegiate level and soon became the Coordinator of Women's Basketball Officials for the West Coast Conference (WCC). Her impressive leadership skills attracted the attention of collegiate commissioners and was soon adding to her resume the coordinator role for the Pac-12 Conference, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Big Sky, and the Big West.

Throughout Violet’s professional career, she has received awards and honors, including from her alma mater, California Polytechnic University at Pomona. The most prestigious being an Honorary Doctorate Degree, 2022; Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, 2024; Gold Whistle Award, 2023; WeCOACH Lifetime Achievement Award, 2021; Intercollegiate Hall of Fame, 2020; and Distinguished Alumni Award, 2016.

Violet’s segue into the NBA came from officiating in the WNBA during the league’s inaugural season, including the 1997 WNBA Championship. In 1999, Violet was honored with the Naismith Award for “Official of The Year”. Additionally, Violet has three years’ experience officiating women’s collegiate games in the CBA and eight years in the Pac-12, Western Athletic, West Coast Conference, Big Sky, and Big West Conferences, as well as five NCAA Final Fours and two NCAA Championship games. She also has five years’ experience officiating high schools in California and seven years in USA basketball.

As a student, Violet was a successful basketball player both at the collegiate and high school levels. She was a four-year letter winner at California Polytechnic University at Pomona, where her team won the NCAA Division II Finals in 1985 and 1986. She played for the varsity girls’ basketball team at Compton High School (CHS) for four years and was captain for her last three years. Violet was named “Team’s Most Valuable Player” her senior year and “All League” her junior and senior years at CHS.

Violet is a former member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Sports Officials and currently sits on the NCAA Mechanics Committee. She is the owner and director of the Basics Referee School, training and developing basketball officials on using the 3-person California Collegiate Association (CCA) Women’s Basketball concept.

Dr. Cheyenne Bryant is a Psychology Expert, renowned Life Coach and Co-producer of MTV's nominated Best Unscripted Reality Show "Teen Mom Family Reunion," ranked #1 Author in SUCCESS Magazines top 20, featured in FORBES, OPRAH, INSIDER, HuffPost, USAToday, PEOPLE magazine, Yahoo! News and many more. Dr. Bryant is the recipient of the first and only, “NAACP Square” Street Dedication in the world. Dr. Bryant is the President of NAACP; branch #1069, Founder of Dr. Bryant Institute, Founder of Dr. Bryant Foundation, author of the award-winning book, “Mental Detox,” Speaker, community activist, host, and brand ambassador.

Dr. Bryant’s mission is to spread her message and expertise on how to lead a healthier, happier, balanced and more fulfilling life. For years, she has shared her wisdom, awareness, mastery, and insight through her private practice, book, lectures, workshops, and assisting individuals with life impairments and challenges. Dr. Bryant embarked on a similar journey as the one you are undertaking, assisted by Oprah Winfrey, Iyanla Vanzant, Marianne Williamson, and many more. Dr. Bryant’s passion for healing, encouraging, and empowering others is what led her to become a Doctor of Psychology and a Life Coach.

Dr. Bryant attended Cal State University of Northridge at the age of 17. While there, she obtained a double degree in Psychology and Pan African studies. During her first two years, she was undecided as to what field she should pursue as a career. Organically, she ended up choosing psychology. She still wasn’t quite sure why, however. She didn’t realize what had triggered her interest until she entered the Master’s Program at University of Phoenix. She was about halfway through the Master’s program and boom! It hit her! She had A LOT of healing within herself that needed to be done. Dr. Bryant’s desire for self-fulfillment, healing, peace, and balance within herself and others drew her to the field of psychology. Being the overachiever that she is, Dr. Bryant decided to pursue her Doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University.

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