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NBA ref Lauren Holtkamp made headlines over night when she was criticized by Chris Paul for her officiating in last night’s Cavaliers-Clippers game.
Paul was later fined $25,000 for his comments.
Here’s what you need to know about her:
1. Paul Said ‘This Might Not be For Her’
In the game, Holtkamp called Paul for a technical foul after he questioned a call of hers. After the game, Paul was asked about the call and said, “This might not be for her,” and said her call was “ridiculous.” The video can be seen above.
2. The Refs’ Union is Defending Holtkamp
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According to ESPN, The National Basketball Referees Association is defending Holtkamp’s call and said it was “fully justified.”
General counsel Lee Seham said “she belongs.”
The article goes on to say:
Paul and several other Clippers players said after postgame interviews that their displeasure had nothing to do with Holtkamp’s gender and everything to do with the calls she made on the court. The Clippers were unhappy with her calls in Thursday night’s game and calls she made in a previous game against the Miami Heat.
3. This is Holtkamp’s First Season in the NBA
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Holtkamp is in her first season with the NBA, but has previous experience with the NBA D-League, WNBA, college and FIBA.
She is one of two active female NBA refs and the third in league history, according to USA Today.
Holtkamp told USA Today that she gets satisfaction from doing high quality work.
Part of the satisfaction of earning this opportunity has to do with the fact that I’ve been able to stay committed to the work and put the work first and trust the system and that’s what matters. It doesn’t matter who is doing the work as long as the work is high quality. There is a great deal of satisfaction in that.
4. Holtkamp Said Her Gender Isn’t a Factor
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Holtkamp went on to tell USA Today that her gender has not been a factor when it comes to how she is treated in the NBA.
I would say really from day one when I got hired into the D-League I’ve been treated as a referee as far as my performance. It’s been about my performance and the quality of work.
NBA associate vice president of referee development George Toliver said she went through the same process as any other ref in making it to the NBA, according to the same article.
We bring them to our basic camp. We teach. We have instruction and classroom sessions. We cover the basics and what we look for in a basketball referee. Then we watch them work.
5. Holtkamp Worked Year Round When She First Started
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Holtkamp worked in multiple leagues that had over different seasons, giving her a full-year’s worth of work when she first started as a ref, according to Grantland.
I look at that and think, I had four years of year-round professional development that was incredibly helpful to getting me to this point.
