NBA referee Eric Lewis has deleted his alleged Twitter burner account, but as the old saying goes, “The Internet is forever.”
Marc Stein reported on Substack Friday night that, “The NBA, I’m told, has opened an official review into Twitter activity unearthed this week with frequent mentions of veteran referee Eric Lewis.”
The 52-year-old Lewis, a 19-year NBA official, made news Thursday when Twitter user @Mikey_Wyllin claimed the user @CuttliffBlair was actually Lewis, sending the message, “THE JIGG IS UP.”
NBA fans and the Twitterverse attacked the news like hungry sharks going after chum, dissecting previous activity on the account. Many tweets and replies attacked critics of Lewis. The account was especially busy during the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors playoff series. One tweet in particular, from a bot account, joked that “LeBron James has never won a game when Eric Lewis is the referee.”
@CuttliffBlair replied, “Um, Memphis game 1.”
More such posts are visible in the thread below, which captured screen shots of the account before its deletion.
NBA ref Eric Lewis has been outed as having a burner account (@CuttliffBlair). Lmaooo this is a momentous day. The account will surely be deleted soon so for the archives, the entirety of the account’s replies. All involving… yep, Eric Lewis. 😂
(h/t @Mikey_Wyllin) thread 🧵⬇️ pic.twitter.com/6GTvURouOc
— pablo escobarner (blue check) (@PabloEscoburner) May 25, 2023
The account was deleted Thursday.
Annnnd, scene. Account has been deleted. Eric… just own it. pic.twitter.com/ADHBHhLtl1
— pablo escobarner (blue check) (@PabloEscoburner) May 25, 2023
While the account’s content has vanished into Elon Musk’s servers, the NBA’s investigation is reportedly just getting started. There are plenty of screenshots available as evidence.
The NBA, I'm told, has opened an official review into Twitter activity unearthed this week with frequent mentions of veteran referee Eric Lewis.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 26, 2023
It’s important to note that there is no proof of Lewis operating that account, but it certainly does look suspicious. And the NBA does not like suspicious activity muddying its multi-billion-dollar brand.
This is not the first time an NBA figure has made news involving a Twitter burner account. Kevin Durant admitted a few years ago he used a burner in 2017 to clap back at critics. The NBA took no action. But a referee’s alleged use of one might be a different matter, as they are held to a higher standard.