The NBA reinstated Eric Lewis into its officiating program as a G League referee, the league announced Friday, following a 2023 social media controversy.
In May 2023, the NBA opened an investigation into Lewis’ social media activity after his alleged burner account on X received significant attention during the playoffs. The NBA said Friday that Lewis participated in the investigation and underwent stress management counseling and training on using social media responsibly as part of an agreed-upon path for his potential return to officiating pro games.
In August 2023, amid the investigation, Lewis retired from officiating NBA games after 19 seasons and has since worked men’s college basketball games. He refereed Thursday night’s game between VCU and American.
The NBA said Lewis will begin officiating at this weekend’s G League Winter Showcase.
“While he made a mistake engaging on social media, our investigation concluded that his behavior did not impact his ability to officiate games fairly and with integrity,” NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell said about Lewis in a statement. “We are confident he has learned from that experience and can properly serve the game again, first as an NBA G League official and potentially in a return as an NBA official.”
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/uGPxlQFCUR
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 19, 2025
In late May 2023, an account with the handle @CuttliffBlair gained notoriety due to posts commenting on Lewis and the games he officiated. Game 1 of the Western Conference finals was the most recent game he had officiated when the posts began circulating.
In prior tweets, the account argued with fans and analysts over Lewis’ officiating. In an April 5, 2023, tweet, the account posted “Congrats” in reply to a tweet from George Mason women’s basketball announcing the contract extension of coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis. Blair-Lewis is Eric Lewis’ wife.
On May 25, 2023, a post in response to the discovery of the account said the account belonged to Mark Lewis, Eric’s older brother.
In @CuttliffBlair’s final tweet, the user wrote, “This is MARK Lewis. Right family (older brother).”
“I’m sorry that I put E, in this situation, but this ain’t Watergate. You’re right, the account WILL be coming down. Twitter should not be this vindictive,” the tweet read. “Sorry to inconvenience you.”
Lewis began officiating NBA games in the 2004-05 season and worked 1,161 regular-season games during his career. In 2008-09, he joined the playoff officiating ranks and reffed 89 postseason contests.