CALL TO ARMS
Meet Ashley Moyer-Gleich, trailblazing NBA referee set for ‘surreal’ experience after being named in playoffs crew
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic once appeared to flirt with the official
NBA referee Ashley Moyer-Gleich has taken the next step in her trailblazing career by being selected for the playoffs.
Moyer-Gleich will become just the second woman to referee an NBA postseason game after being chosen as one of 36 first-round officials.
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It has been over a decade since a woman last officiated in the playoffs, with Violet Palmer refereeing nine games between 2006 and 2012.
The 36-year-old described her appointment as “surreal.”
“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 told AP.
“And then to see my name on list of working floor officials ...
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"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.”
Moyer-Gleich played collegiately at the Division II Millersville University in her native Pennsylvania.
She was promoted to the full-time NBA officiating ranks in November 2018, having previously refereed in the NBA’s G-League as well as in the WNBA.
Moyer-Gleich has worked over 200 regular season NBA games across six seasons.
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Her dream is now to officiate an NBA Finals.
“Obviously that’s an aspiration and that’s a goal way far down the road,” she said.
“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.
“Whether I’m the first or not, I think just a female breaking through and getting that opportunity would be monumental.”
Moyer-Gleich made headlines in the 2020-21 season when Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic appeared to flirt with her.
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Doncic told the referee about a foul that she had seemingly missed.
"What foul?" she asked.
Doncic replied with a smirk: "Fouling in love with you!"
Moyer-Gleich believes she has earned respect in the NBA through her years of hard work.
“Yes, I do feel like a woman in a man’s world, but not in a negative way,” she told Lebanon Sports Buzz.
“In this arena, all the players are men, most of the coaches are men and many of my partners are men.
"Do I feel like a woman in a male-dominated world? Absolutely.
"But I don’t feel like I’m treated any differently.
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"They’re (players, coaches, colleagues) probably rooting for me more than I am for myself.
"People tell me I belong here, I deserve it. That gives you a sense of confidence."
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