The NBA is gearing up for another historic night as for the first time two women will officiate a game at the same time. NBA referees Natalie Sago and Jenna Schroeder will officiate the game between the Charlotte Hornets vs. Orlando Magic.
Natalie Sago is in her third season as an official. Coming into this campaign, she officiated 63 games and previously officiated four seasons in the NBA G League and three seasons in the WNBA.
Jenna Schroeder is in her second season as an official. In her rookie campaign, she refereed 27 games. She also has experience in the NBA G League for three reasons and another two in the WNBA.
Advertisement
Last week the NBA announces a raise in ratings across all networks in which they partner through Martin Luther King Jr. day.
Through those 27 games, the league is up 34% in viewership the comparable number of games during the 2019-20 season (2.0 million average viewers vs. 1.49 million average viewers), according to Nielsen Media Research.
In the TNT MLK tripleheader that featured the Phoenix Suns vs. Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets, and Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers, viewership averaged at 1.73 million viewers, rising 32% in comparison to last year.
The rise in viewership is also experienced on NBA League Pass, the league’s live game subscription package, on MLK Day was up 46% vs. last year.