The National Basketball Association (NBA) has reinstated former referee Eric Lewis, nearly two years after his retirement amid a controversy over his use of anonymous social media accounts.
The Path to Reinstatement
Eric Lewis will officially rejoin the league's officiating programme, beginning his comeback with a G League match between the Osceola Magic and the Noblesville Boom this Friday. The 52-year-old, who officiated over 1,200 games across 19 NBA seasons, expressed his excitement about returning to the sport. "I got chill bumps right now thinking about it," Lewis told ESPN's Andscape. "I'm excited about earning people's trust back, getting back to the work and getting back to the game."
The Burner Account Investigation
Lewis's departure from the NBA in 2023 followed a league investigation into his alleged operation of a 'burner account' on X, formerly known as Twitter. The account, @CuttliffBlair, was flagged by a user named @PabloEscoburner in May 2023. It had been actively defending Lewis and NBA officiating in general, responding to criticism online.
Initially, the account claimed to be run by Lewis's older brother, Mark. However, the NBA's probe concluded that Lewis was responsible. Byron Spruell, the NBA's President of League Operations, stated Lewis "owned the comments" from the account. "As we walked through it, he decided to step away. He felt that he made a mistake," Spruell said.
Life After the NBA and Looking Ahead
Following his voluntary retirement, Lewis returned to officiating at the collegiate level. He called 46 games last season and has worked on 23 so far this term, currently ranked as the 84th best official in college basketball by analytics site KenPom.com.
Reflecting on the scandal, Lewis admitted, "It started very small and got out of hand. I don't feel happy about the situation and how far it went. But I'm very apologetic to the family and to the league. This won't happen again." His last NBA assignment was on 16 May 2023, for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.
The reinstatement deal reportedly included a possibility for return, which has now been realised. Lewis now aims to regain the trust of the basketball community and return to officiating at the highest level, starting with his G League appointment.
