The NBA has announced referee Eric Lewis will be retiring from his job, effective immediately.
On Wednesday, the league sent out a press release announcing the news. Lewis had been under investigation by the NBA for his questionable activity on social media with burner accounts, but since he's retiring, the league has closed its case on him.
"NBA referee Eric Lewis has informed the league office that he is retiring, effective immediately," the NBA said in its release. "In light of his decision, the NBA's investigation into social media activity has been closed."
Eric Lewis made headlines right before the start of the 2023 NBA Finals when he allegedly had a burner account, found by Twitter users, to defend himself and his officiating from critics on social media. The NBA caught wind of the controversy and decided not to select him as a referee for the 2023 NBA Finals, where the Denver Nuggets took on the Miami Heat.
Lewis had worked four NBA Finals before being removed for the 2023 series. The league also opened an investigation to determine if Lewis violated NBA rules by speaking about officiating and other referees illegally. Officials have not determined whether Lewis was using the burner account.
Following the commotion around his social media use, folks claimed to have seen the 19-year veteran officiating a recreational basketball league game in July. The man in the video shared by Overtime on TikTok was not confirmed to be Lewis, but social media had a field day anyway, dragging the ref for losing his NBA job and now allegedly working for a rec league.
