• Home
• News

26 September 2025  4 min read

Thirty-two seasons and out – John Letizia hangs up his whistle

Letizia’s last game was the 2024/25 NBL Division One Semi-Final match up between Hemel Storm and Milton Keynes Breakers and he received nearly a thousand messages from well-wishers across his social media accounts.  

“It brought tears to my eyes. It was people who used to play, or I used to coach, some I hadn’t seen in 10, 15, 20 years. Some have got their own families now or walked away from the game or don’t live in the country anymore. All had their own particular story and little anecdotes. It’s been emotional,” said the 56-year-old. 

Retirement had been at the back of his mind in the winter of the 2024/25 season, partly because of age, and partly because he didn’t want to the be the ‘old guy who sticks around’ and block the young batch of referees coming up through the ranks. Now is the right time, he thought.  

Respected ref John Letizia (left) reffing at the 2025 KitKing Final between Reading Rockets and Milton Keynes Breakers

'I got to the game with five minutes to spare'

Originally from Brindisi, Italy, which is home to the well-supported New Basket Brindisi in the Italian Serie A2, Letizia’s passion for basketball was instilled by his father, who was a big basketball fan and encouraged his son to support the local team. 

His father’s friends were international referees, so it was through them that he also got into refereeing.  

He then moved to the UK to complete a degree in politics and foreign diplomacy at Warwick University and became a qualified referee for the English scene.  

“I did a few university games, and refereed in the Warwickshire League, and then in 1992 I became a national league referee,” he said.  

“My first game was an U20 game in Croydon and I remember that I was getting to the game by public transport. I was living in Brixton at the time and the bus broke down. So, I was running late to the game. I had to take a taxi to get to the venue, and I got to the game with about five minutes to spare. That was my first national league game.” 

Whilst balancing a hectic job in politics in London, Letizia would work his way up through to British Basketball League level, with his first game a contest between Milton Keynes Lions and Cheshire Phoenix.  

The key influencers in his refereeing journey were Keith Dwan, Mick Howell and Richard Stokes, who encouraged him to push himself and do more refereeing badges.  

“I took my level four when I was in my late 30s, which is actually quite late,” he added. “My first BBL games were when I was about 37/38, but for me it was never about, you know, moving up the ladder.  

“It was just something that I really enjoyed doing and looking back, I am grateful to those people who pushed and supported me. I never had that kind of view of, ‘yeah, I'm going to be the best referee’. I never had the view of, ‘I'm going to be an international referee’. For me, it was just about, ‘I’ll do this game, and I'll be very professional and do it to the best of my abilities’.” 

The last hurrah: Letizia with co-officials Lewis Walker-Everton (left) and David Griffin (right) at his last NBL game

'Treat people the way you want to be treated'

So, whether it was the BBL or local league, the point for Letizia was just to be involved in basketball and recently he has been using his experience to give back to the game, mentoring referees in the London region and keeping an eye on official's development across England, where he’s seen some ‘remarkable’ talent. 

“Basketball has always been really crucial, not just in terms of the physical side, you know, keeping fit, but also the mental aspect, switching off from work and actually doing something [outside of work] and making friends and everything else that comes with it,” said Letizia. 

“In 32 years, I only had two serious confrontations on the court. So, I still think that the power and the art of talking actually can go a long way. My message [to young officials] is, treat people the way you want to be treated. It might not work all the time, but it worked for me.” 

Become an Official