The NBA announced Wednesday afternoon that it is closing its investigation into referee Eric Lewis as he informed the league that he will be retiring. The league launched an investigation back in May after allegations began to surface on X (formerly Twitter), that linked Lewis to an account on the social media site.
Per the league's statement:
"NBA referee Eric Lewis has informed the league office that he is retiring, effective immediately. In light of his decision, the NBA's investigation into social media activity has been closed."
The investigation resulted in Lewis not being named an official for the NBA Finals last season, after being assigned to work games in each of the previous four NBA Finals. The account, which was discovered by users on the site, appeared to defend Lewis on multiple occasions when he was being criticized. It has since been deleted, but screenshots were taken of posts and shared on X.
NBA ref Eric Lewis has been outed as having a burner account (@CuttliffBlair). Lmaooo this is a momentous day. The account will surely be deleted soon so for the archives, the entirety of the account’s replies. All involving… yep, Eric Lewis. 😂
— Pablo Escobarner (11 natties) (@PabloEscoburner) May 25, 2023
(h/t @Mikey_Wyllin) thread 🧵⬇️ pic.twitter.com/6GTvURouOc
Lewis had been a referee with the NBA for 18 seasons, officiating 1,098 regular-season games. He was assigned to work 82 playoff games, including six NBA Finals games during that span. Although Lewis had an officiating career that spanned nearly two decades, this investigation looks to be a low point to end his tenure.
