How many female referees are there in the NBA?
How many female referees are there in the NBA?
By Edcel Panganiban November 20, 2024 08:49
A lot of leagues have embraced gender equality in the way they run their operations. The NBA is a big catalyst for this change due to the high number of women and other gender minorities who work in keeping them going. A key part of their operations is clearly the officiating. This is where females referees in the NBA come in and contribute to making the game fun to watch while also safe for each player.
Yes, there are female referees in the NBA. In fact, there are eight who are currently active for the 2024-25 season. They are Dannica Mosher, Natalie Sago, Simone Jelks, Sha'rae Mitchell, Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling, Danielle Scott, Jenna Schroeder, and Ashley Moyer-Gleich.
All of them practically live the same lives as the players because of how hectic the travel schedule can be. Their game days are also quite rough because they get berated by coaches, players, and a huge thousand-person crows on a constant basis. Before making it to the NBA, they also had to go through the G League or amass experience from other basketball competitions. It is safe to say that they had a lot of competition before landing the job.
However, the toughest challenges they face rarely happen on the court. It is usually off it due to their separation anxiety from not seeing their loved ones a lot. Moyer-Gleich outlined her thoughts on these struggles: "I’m not sure if people realize that we’re away for six months. We’re on the road six days a week. The players and the team have 50 percent of their games at home. Usually, 99 percent of our games are away, and we miss that time with our family. We miss milestones and birthdays. It is a grueling job."