NBA Referee Retires Amid Investigation Into Burner Account

There isn’t a league or organization in the world who provides more drama than the NBA.

That much was on full display Wednesday, when longtime NBA referee Eric Lewis retired amid the league’s investigation into his social media activity.

The investigation was launched due to Lewis’ connection to what is believed to be a burner account on X, formerly known as Twitter, under the name “@CuttliffBlair.” The account staunchly defended NBA officials, with responses typically coming in posts that criticized Lewis.

You can see the account and examples of its posts here.

The account was opened in 2015, but had zero followers eight years later. The account was following five other users, including the account George Mason’s women’s basketball team, where Lewis’ wife, Vanessa Blair-Lewis, is head coach.

The issue with Lewis’ social media involvement comes from an NBA rule that states referees cannot speak about officiating in an unauthorized manner. The investigation was dropped after Lewis’ retirement, however.

The NBA’s inquiry into the accounts cause a shift in officiating plans throughout the postseason, where Lewis was not selected as one of the 12 referees to work the 2023 NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat despite being chosen to work the Finals in each of the past four seasons.

Lewis’ final game was May 16, when Denver hosted the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. He also officiated Game 6 and 7 of the Boston Celtics’ series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Celtics, who won both of those games, are said to have been a team that was better off when Lewis officiated.