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

The news arrived at that moment: She had more games to participate in.

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 described the experience as surreal. “It truly is,” she said.

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

In November 2018, Moyer-Gleich, who used to be a Division II player at Millersville University in her home state of Pennsylvania, was elevated to the full-time NBA officiating positions. She has officiated more than 200 regular-season games in her six seasons. This year, she is one of the three individuals selected by the league for the playoffs for the first time, along with Marat Kogut and J.T. Orr.

“Last year, I served as an alternate for four games, which clearly set a goal for me to continue in that role, as it would mean maintaining my career growth,” explained Moyer-Gleich. “Seeing my name on the list of active floor officials was a surprise. My mom, who had accompanied me to my last two games, was there when I opened the email. Sharing that news with her was an incredible moment.”

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 officiating roster, usually ending with a 12-person list for the NBA Finals. The referees for the Finals games are traditionally given white warm-up jackets by the league, a practice that has been in place for years.

Moyer-Gleich has not yet reached her goal, but she is one step closer.

She stated, “The white jacket, even more desirable than playoffs, is a highly sought-after aspiration. This is a distant goal, but I hope to continue on this path, perhaps progressing from referee to crew chief and then, hopefully, to the finals – the pinnacle of our profession. Regardless of whether I’m the first or not, I believe it would be a groundbreaking event for a woman to get this opportunity.”