Matthew Kallio

Matthew Kallio
Personal information
Born (1986-09-26) September 26, 1986[1]
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada[1]
NationalityCanadian

Matthew Leigh "Matt" Kallio (Edmonton, 26 September 1986) is a Canadian NBA and FIBA referee,[1][2] who has been a licensed FIBA official since 2012.[3]

In 2021–22, he made his NBA debut as a non-staff referee and officiated 10 regular-season NBA games.[1] He was promoted to full-time NBA officiating staff ahead of the 2022–23 season, becoming the first international official at the NBA level.[4]

Early life and education

Kallio was born in Edmonton, Alberta, with Finnish ancestry. He attended M.E. LaZerte High School before graduating from the University of Alberta in 2008.[1]

Officiating career

Canada (College / University)

Before entering the professional and international officiating ranks, Kallio accumulated extensive experience in Canadian collegiate basketball. He spent multiple years officiating in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) and in U Sports.

FIBA

Kallio obtained his FIBA referee licence in 2012 and has served on FIBA tournaments since then.[3] He was assigned to the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China.[5] He was also selected as one of the FIBA referees for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Basketball Tournament.[6]

In September 2025, he officiated the gold medal game of EuroBasket 2025 between Germany and Turkey in Riga.

NBA / WNBA / NBA G League

Kallio refereed in the NBA G League for multiple seasons and also worked in the WNBA prior to joining the NBA full-time.[1] During the 2021–22 NBA season he officiated as a non-staff official before being promoted to the NBA officiating staff for the 2022–23 season.[4]

Notable assignments

  • First Canadian to officiate an NBA regular-season game as a referee in January 2021.[7]
  • Assigned to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021).[6]
  • Named on FIBA's Long List of referees and selected for Olympic assignments for Paris 2024, and officiated games in the Paris 2024 tournament.[8]
  • Assigned as referee for the EuroBasket 2025, and also was the head referee in the EuroBasket 2025 semifinal game, Greece vs. Turkey (held in September 2025).

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Matt Kallio – Official #88". NBRA. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Matt Kallio". BGbasket.com. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  3. ^ a b "Edmonton's Matt Kallio becomes first full-time international NBA official". Canada Basketball. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b "NBA promotes 4 referees to 2022-23 officiating staff". NBA.com. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Alberta officials Kallio and Weiland are headed to the Olympic". Alberta Basketball. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Four Canadians assigned to the Tokyo 2020 Men's and Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament". Canada Basketball. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Edmonton referee 1st Canadian to ref an NBA game". Alberta Basketball. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  8. ^ "FIBA publish Long List of Paris Olympics Referees". FIBA. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
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