Photo credit: CNN
Ashley Moyer-Gleich makes history in 2024 playoffs
Just before heading to the airport for what she anticipated as her season's last game, Ashley Moyer-Gleich checked her email. To her surprise, she received news that she has more games ahead. She's set to become the second woman in NBA history to officiate a playoff game. The league announced her inclusion among the 36 referees selected for Round 1 of the playoffs starting this weekend.
"It's surreal," Moyer-Gleich said. "It really is."
She joins Violet Palmer as one of the few women selected by the NBA for playoff assignments. Palmer officiated nine playoff games from 2006 to 2012.
Moyer-Gleich, a former Division II player at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, transitioned to full-time NBA officiating in November 2018. With over 200 regular-season games under her belt in six seasons, she's among the league's first-time playoff selections this year, alongside Marat Kogut and J.T. Orr.
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"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," Moyer-Gleich said. "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."
As each round progresses, the league reduces the officiating roster, often resulting in a final 12-person list for the NBA Finals. Referees selected for Finals games receive white warm-up jackets, a longstanding tradition in the league.
While Moyer-Gleich hasn't reached that stage yet, she's moving closer with each step.
"Just like playoffs are coveted, the white jacket is even more super-coveted," she said. "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."
Source ESPN : NBA picks Ashley Moyer-Gleich as first woman playoff ref since '12
Source NBA : Ashley Moyer-Gleich makes history as part of 2024 playoff officiating crew
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