The Engineer Who Became a Referee

Decades later, she still gets an adrenaline rush when she steps onto the basketball court

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As one of the first women hired to officiate in the NBA, referee Dee Kantner describes what it’s like to keep up with some of America’s fastest athletes and to work in a field dominated by men. “I think the biggest misperception about women referees is that we’re not tough enough to handle things. We can be just as tough,” she says in the latest episode of Spinoffs. She’s also candid about getting fired from the NBA and talks about how age brings a new perspective.