Violet Palmer, the first woman to referee an NBA game, says she will marry her longtime female partner this week.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Palmer says she came out to her fellow NBA referees in 2007 and has not kept her sexuality a secret from her co-workers since that time.
Palmer says, "This is actually the big formal coming out. We are saying to the world, to everyone, here's my wife of 20 years."
Palmer will marry celebrity hair stylist Tanya Stine on Friday in Los Angeles. The ceremony will be officiated by "Basketball Wives LA" star, Tanya Young Williams, the ex-wife of former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams.
Palmer made her NBA debut in 1997 and has officiated postseason games and an All-Star game.
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