In a bittersweet moment for the NBA, groundbreaking referee Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling has announced her retirement from officiating due to ongoing knee issues. Holtkamp-Sterling, who made history as just the third female full-time official in NBA history when she was promoted to the staff in 2014, has been forced to hang up her whistle after a decade of breaking down barriers and paving the way for future generations of women in sports.
A Difficult Decision
For Holtkamp-Sterling, the choice to retire was not an easy one. However, after dealing with multiple knee injuries throughout her career, including three ACL tears, the toll on her body became too much to bear. Speaking about her decision, she revealed:
My medical retirement is all about my knees. It was really sad to me to bump up against physical limitations, truly. And I think it can be really tempting to sort of live in a space where you think everything is solvable and fixable. But truly, my knees just had reached the point where the miles on my joints, I couldn’t roll back the odometer on them.
Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling
A Trailblazing Career
Holtkamp-Sterling’s impact on the NBA cannot be overstated. As one of the first women to officiate games in the league, she helped to break down long-standing gender barriers and inspire a new generation of female referees. When she first joined the NBA’s full-time staff in 2014, there had only been two other women in league history to hold that position: Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer.
Now, thanks in large part to Holtkamp-Sterling’s trailblazing efforts, there are seven more women on the NBA’s full-time referee roster:
- Danielle Scott
- Natalie Sago
- Jenna Schroeder
- Dannica Mosher
- Ashley Moyer-Gleich
- Sha’Rae Mitchell
- Simone Jelks
This growing list of female officials is a testament to the doors that Holtkamp-Sterling helped to open during her tenure in the league. As NBA vice president and head of referee development and training Monty McCutchen put it:
Lauren was not the first woman to work here, but she most certainly contributed to breaking down beliefs and barriers that allowed more people to see themselves in the light of, ‘I, too, can do this.’ And not only did she do it, but she did it with excellence and with a sense of grace and dignity.
Monty McCutchen
Making History
In addition to being one of the first female full-time refs in the NBA, Holtkamp-Sterling also made history as the first mother to officiate a game in the league. After giving birth to her first child in 2019, she returned to the court later that same year, proving that women can balance the demands of motherhood with a successful career in sports.
Holtkamp-Sterling’s rise to the NBA was nothing short of meteoric. Just 10 years after picking up a whistle for the first time to referee a middle school game, she had earned a spot on the league’s full-time staff. Her rapid ascent is a testament to her talent, dedication, and unwavering pursuit of her dreams.
A New Chapter
As she steps away from her on-court duties, Holtkamp-Sterling is already looking ahead to the next phase of her career. She plans to become a mental health professional, drawing on her experiences as a referee in the WNBA, NBA G League, and NBA to help others navigate the challenges of high-pressure environments.
I certainly am going to be drawing on my 16-plus years through the D League and the WNBA and the NBA and just my experiences of really growing up through those leagues. I’m really excited about this next chapter.
Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling
An Enduring Legacy
While her time on the court may have come to an end, Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling’s impact on the NBA and the world of sports will endure for generations to come. She shattered glass ceilings, challenged stereotypes, and proved that women belong at the highest levels of professional basketball.
As more and more women follow in her footsteps and take up the mantle of officiating in the NBA, Holtkamp-Sterling’s legacy will only continue to grow. She may be stepping away from the game, but the trails she blazed will forever be etched in the annals of basketball history.
