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Anne Erickson

NBA Playoffs Have Female Ref for the Second Time in History

Author Anne Erickson
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Female basketball stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have brought a lot of attention to the game this year. Now, the NBA is putting a female ref on the big stage, as the NBA playoffs will have a woman in charge for the second time in the association’s history.

Meet Ashley Moyer-Gleich, a Female Ref for the NBA

Late last week, the

Congratulations to Ashley Moyer-Gleich, Marat Kogut, and JT Orr who will all be making their NBA postseason debut during the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Moyer-Gleich becomes the second woman selected to officiate in the NBA Playoffs, joining Violet Palmer.

See all of the 2024 NBA… pic.twitter.com/AmIUm9y0hC

— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) April 18, 2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA announced that Ashley Moyer-Gleich was selected as one of 36 first-round officials in the NBA playoffs. It’s only the second time in the league’s lengthy history that a female ref has been chosen to referee an NBA playoff game. The last woman to do so was Violet Palmer, who was the first woman to be picked for a postseason assignment. She served as a referee in nine NBA games between 2006 and 2012.

Moyer-Gleich was once a player herself. She is a former Division II college basketball player at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. She grew up in the Keystone State. “I worked four games as an alternate last year, so obviously, my goal was I wanted to be an alternate again because that’s just sustaining the growth that I’ve had in my career,” she said regarding the opportunity, via the NBA.com. “And then to see my name on list of working floor officials… I mean, my mom was with me, she came with me on my last two games for a little trip, and to open that email and have her there with me and share that news, it was really quite amazing.” She added that being female ref in the playoffs is “surreal. It really is.”

Moyer-Gleich has the resume to be more than qualified for this task, too. According to the NBA, she was promoted to the “full-time NBA officiating ranks” in November of 2018. She’s worked six seasons in her position and worked more than 200 regular-season games. “Just like playoffs are coveted, the white jacket is even more super-coveted,” she said regarding being a female ref. “Obviously that’s an aspiration and that’s a goal way far down the road. And hopefully I can continue on the same trajectory, continue to increase my responsibility on the floor, maybe going from the referee to a crew chief at some point and then hopefully getting to the finals — the epitome of what we do. And whether I’m the first or not, I think just a female breaking through and getting that opportunity would be monumental.”

5 NBA Players We'd Love To See In the Slam Dunk Contest

  • Zion Williamson

    Now in his fourth season, you can’t help but feel like we’ve been Zion-deprived. Injuries doomed Williamson’s first three years. In fact, he’s only played in 114 games. However, as we’ve seen so far this year, Williamson is explosive. An electrifying dunk contest performance can allow us to quickly forget about the start of his NBA career.

     

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    A post shared by Zion Williamson (@zionwilliamson)

  • Ja Morant

    Speaking of high-flying ballers, Morant has a burst to his game that not many others (if any) have. Similar to Zion Williamson, the past year or two has been marred by outside distractions that have taken away from Morant’s game. Here’s to hoping his hoop game is back in focus. He can show us that been taking the next dunk contest by storm.

     

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    A post shared by Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball)

  • Anthony Edwards

    Edwards has quickly established himself as one of the best young players in the game. He’s taking the Minnesota Timberwolves to levels that they have not been to since Kevin Garnett was in the building. It would be a great statement to enter the dunk contest at this stage of his career. To some degree, it would be similar timing to when Jordan and Wilkinson participated and won.

     

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    A post shared by adidas Basketball (@adidasbasketball)

  • Jalen Brunson

    Now, this might be a stretch only because Brunson is probably more suited for the three-point or skills contest. The Knicks guard is now an all-star and one of the most dynamic players in the game this season. In addition, he’s loved by the fans and the roaring support from the crowd always makes the dunk contest that much more of an entertaining experience. Finally, the Knicks could really use the spotlight.

     

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    A post shared by Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1)

  • LeBron James

    King James may arguably be past the prime of his career when this opportunity would make sense. For years, fans wanted him in, and although it came close, James never jumped in. He certainly doesn’t need to do it. It just feels like the one thing he has not accomplished in the league. Kobe Bryant competed in the dunk contest in 1997. And he won.

     

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    A post shared by 👑 (@kingjames)

Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.

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