Longtime referee Eric Lewis filed his retirement amid the NBA’s ongoing investigation of his online activities to defend himself and his fellow officials using a burner account.
In a press release on Wednesday, the league announced that Lewis tended his retirement from professional officiating, which subsequently shut down the investigations around his alleged illegal social media activities.
Lewis, 52, was placed under the investigative lens of the NBA back in May after allegedly hiding on a pseudonym X account to defend himself and other league officials. Lewis reportedly operated under the social media name “Blair Cutliff,” an account that has already been deleted since then.
The NBA prohibits professional referees from commenting publicly about their officiating matters without the association’s consent. Should violations be found, the league will hand an ensuing disciplinary action and suspension.
Lewis has served the league from 2005 up to this year, officiating over 1,000 games and multiple NBA Finals series.
Game 1 of the 2022-23 Western Conference Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers back on May 16 was his final officiating gig. Reports of Lewis’ alleged illegal X activities came out a week after.
