Ashley Moyer-Gleich makes history as part of 2024 playoff officiating crew

Ashley Moyer-Gleich is one of the 36 referees chosen by the NBA to officiate the first round of the playoffs.

Just before heading to the airport for what she believed would be her final game of the season on Saturday, Ashley Moyer-Gleich checked her email.

That’s when the news arrived: She has additional games to complete.

Moyer-Gleich will soon become only the second woman in NBA history to referee a playoff game. She was one of 36 referees announced by the league Thursday as its referee selections for Round 1 of the playoffs starting this weekend.

“Moyer-Gleich said, “It’s surreal. It really is.”

She, along with Violet Palmer, is one of the only women chosen by the NBA for a playoff assignment. Palmer officiated nine playoff games from 2006 to 2012.

In November 2018, Moyer-Gleich, an ex-Division II player from Millersville University in her home state of Pennsylvania, advanced to the full-time officiating ranks of the NBA. With over 200 regular-season games under her belt in her six seasons, she is one of three fresh playoff picks by the league this year, alongside Marat Kogut and J.T. Orr.

Moyer-Gleich shared that she had served as an alternate in four games last year, and her objective was to continue in that role to maintain her career growth. When she found out she was included in the list of working floor officials, she was extremely excited. Her mother, who had accompanied her to her last two games, was present when she opened the email. Sharing this news with her was an amazing experience, she said.

The full list of first-round referees chosen by the NBA: Ray Acosta, Brent Barnaky, Curtis Blair, Tony Brothers, Nick Buchert, James Capers, Sean Corbin, Kevin Cutler, Marc Davis, JB DeRosa, Mitchell Ervin, Tyler Ford, Brian Forte, Scott Foster, Pat Fraher, Jacyn Goble, John Goble, David Guthrie, Bill Kennedy, Courtney Kirkland, Karl Lane, Mark Lindsay, Ed Malloy, Gediminas Petraitis, Kevin Scott, Aaron Smith, Ben Taylor, Dedric Taylor, Josh Tiven, Justin Van Duyne, James Williams, Sean Wright, Zach Zarba, Kogut, Orr and Moyer-Gleich.

“Congratulations to these 36 officials on the well-earned and prestigious honor of being selected to officiate in the NBA Playoffs,” NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell said. “We appreciate the professionalism, dedication and teamwork that our officiating staff displays on a daily basis throughout the season.”

For each round, the league reduces the number of officials, usually ending with a 12-person crew for the NBA Finals. The league traditionally gives these referees white warm-up jackets for the Finals games – a tradition that has been upheld for years.

Moyer-Gleich isn’t quite there yet, but she’s one step nearer.

“She mentioned, ‘The white jacket is even more sought-after than playoffs. Naturally, it’s a long-term goal and aspiration. I hope to stay on the same path, gradually increasing my on-floor responsibility, perhaps progressing from referee to crew chief eventually. The ultimate achievement in our field is reaching the finals. Regardless of whether I am the first, I believe it would be a monumental accomplishment for any woman to break through and seize this opportunity.'”