Lauren Holtkamp (born November 24, 1980) is a former
professional basketball
In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger a ...
referee
A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other title ...
who worked in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA), wearing number 7. Holtkamp became the third woman to be a full-time NBA referee. Holtkamp also played college basketball at
Drury University
Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,590 undergr ...
from 2000 to 2004. Holtkamp previously refereed the last five
NBA Development League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...
seasons before becoming a full-time referee for the 2014–15 NBA season. Holtkamp officiated four seasons in the WNBA including the WNBA 2014 conference finals. Holtkamp graduated from
Emory University
Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
with a Master of Divinity. She also graduated from Drury University with both a Master of Arts in Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. In June 2017, Holtkamp married NBA referee Jonathan Sterling. In 2019, Holtkamp gave birth to their daughter.
On October 24, 2024, Holtkamp retired as an NBA referee, citing knee issues.
Drury statistics
Source
References
External links
National Basketball Referees Association bio
1980 births
Living people
Basketball players from Missouri
Drury Panthers women's basketball players
Emory University alumni
NBA referees
Sportspeople from Jefferson City, Missouri
Women basketball referees
NBA G League referees
American women referees and umpires
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