The NBA’s female referees continue to grow.
According to the NBA, Cheryl Flores was promoted to the rank of full-time staff official. The NBA now has eight full-time referees, the most ever seen in one league.
Flores, Mosher, and Robert Hussey were promoted from the G League Level.
Monty McCutchen (the NBA’s senior vice-president overseeing referee training and development) said that Cheryl, Robert and Dannica had shown the professionalism and ability required to be a full time NBA officiating staff member. “We are proud for them to have reached such a milestone in their careers.
Flores and Mosher are joined by Lauren Holtkamp–Sterling, Simone Jelks Ashley Moyer-Gleich Natalie Sago and Jenna Schroeder as women at full-time NBA Referee Level. Ten women have held the job in league history. Eight of them join Violet Palmer, Dee Kantner and Dee Kantner.
Last season, 12 women played in games for the NBA. Some were called up from the G League or non-staff levels to assist when COVID-19 decimated the league’s officiating staff. Clare Aubry and Sha’Rae Mitchell, Blanca Brenns, Jenna Reneau, and Jenna Reneau were all part of the current eight-person full-time roster.
Flores is a former G League referee and has ten years in the WNBA. Mosher has four years of G League officiating and five seasons in WNBA. She also worked the WNBA Finals and G League Finals.
Hussey worked in five G League seasons, and two in WNBA. Kallio – a native Edmontonian, Alberta – has seven years of G League and five years of WNBA experiences, as well as the Tokyo Olympics experience.
McCutchen stated, “We’re searching for the best referees.”
McCutchen and other NBA executives have made it a priority, as has Commissioner Adam Silver. McCutchen insists that the NBA will only hire the best candidates for the job, regardless if they are female or male.
It’s simply amazing. McCutchen said that this was the ideal society. The NBA strongly believes that this should be a meritocracy. This is what true meritocracy looks exactly like.”