"Social Media Reacts to NBA Referee Eric Lewis' Sudden Retirement Amid Probe"

NBA referee Eric Lewis retires amid investigation into alleged use of unauthorized burner account on social media.

Veteran NBA referee Eric Lewis has announced his retirement, effective immediately, and the NBA has concluded its investigation into his social media activity, according to a release from the league on Wednesday. The investigation centered around allegations that Lewis was using an unauthorized burner account on X, formerly known as Twitter. The account, "@CuttliffBlair," which has since been deleted, frequently defended Lewis and other NBA officials. The NBA conducted the probe to determine if Lewis violated a league rule that prohibits referees from publicly commenting on officiating matters without approval.

At this time, it remains unclear whether Lewis was in control of the account. However, the NBA has now closed the matter, as stated in the Wednesday release. Newsweek has reached out to both the NBA and Lewis for further comment.

Lewis, who is 52 years old, was in his 19th season as an NBA referee and had officiated over 1,200 games throughout his career. However, amidst the investigation, Lewis was not chosen as one of the 12 referees for the 2023 NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat. He had previously officiated the last four Finals matchups.

Lewis' final game officiated was Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on May 16. Reports of his alleged social media posts emerged shortly after. Fans on social media had plenty to say about Lewis' retirement, with many Lakers fans expressing their dissatisfaction with his calls. Even Lakers players LeBron James and Patrick Beverly commented on the investigation when it first surfaced in May. James questioned the accuracy of the news, while Beverly recalled a viral moment involving Lewis during a regular-season game against the Boston Celtics, where Beverly received a technical foul for showing Lewis a photographer's camera after what he believed was a missed call.

Although neither player has publicly reacted to Wednesday's news, Lakers fans have taken to social media to share memes, jokes, and other reactions following Lewis' retirement announcement. Some users also highlighted significant officiating moments from Lewis' career, including the no-call involving James that preceded the Beverly camera incident. The National Basketball Referees Association later admitted that James had been fouled on the final play of regulation in that Lakers game against the Celtics and that a foul should have been called. The union expressed remorse for the mistake, stating that referees, like everyone else, make errors and that they strive to be the best they can be.