Former NBA referee Eric Lewis, who retired in 2023 after violating the league’s social media policy, is on a potential path back to the league after being reinstated into the officiating program as a G League official.
Lewis retired after 19 seasons as an NBA referee in August 2023 after the league investigated him for potential violations of the league’s social media policy. He has worked as an NCAA men’s basketball referee the past two seasons. Lewis cleared several benchmarks, including stress management counseling and training on responsible use of social media, to become eligible to rejoin the officiating program. He is scheduled to return to action as a referee during a G League Winter Showcase game between the Osceola Magic and Noblesville Boom at 6 p.m. ET Friday at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
“I got chill bumps right now thinking about it,” Lewis told ESPN’s Andscape. “I’m excited about earning people’s trust back, getting back to the work and getting back to the game. What was always the plan when this came about was trying to get back to the NBA. …
“I’m very excited about the [G League] game. It will be really good to get back into that environment and get back part of my life that has been a big part of my officiating career. Get back to that normalcy and familiarity with the top players in the world.”
Byron Spruell, NBA president of league operations, said the league thoroughly investigated Lewis before giving him the jointly agreed-upon path to potentially return to the NBA through the G League. If all goes well, Spruell said, Lewis could be promoted to work some NBA regular-season games this season and return as a full-time NBA referee next season. Spruell added that the National Basketball Referees Association initially reached out to the NBA in hopes of getting the road to Lewis’ return started.
Spruell said that Lewis was a valued referee in the NBA previously and that some teams that respected his abilities have asked whether he could be returning.
“He made a mistake, and he owned it,” Spruell said about Lewis. “And we found a path for him to come back. This is not a punitive path; this is a progressive path. Any official coming back from injury or what have you comes back through the G League and gets reinstated there and hopefully gets back on the NBA floor. I think for all those reasons we’re welcoming him back with open arms.
“But he has to do the work, including what he did when he was away from the NBA and retired. Getting the training he did around social media and awareness and other things he has been focused on. Another thing about ‘E,’ he’s always fit. I don’t think we’ve ever had an issue with that in terms of him being fit. He’s done NCAA games and etc. But we have to make sure he’s ready for on-the-court performance as well as off it. We’re in a place where we feel comfortable with that.”
The NBA opened an investigation into Lewis in May 2023 involving a Twitter (now X) account that responded to numerous posts on league officiating and defended Lewis and other NBA referees. The social media account in question, which has since been deleted, was listed under a username “Blair Cuttliff” with the handle @CuttliffBlair. Lewis fully participated in an investigation into his social media activities in question.
The NBA learned that the aforementioned social media account was connected to a family member of Lewis’ after an investigation and that he was posted on it. Lewis was not selected to work the NBA Finals in 2023 after taking part the previous four seasons, and he retired Aug. 30, 2023.
“At the time, we were a bit concerned about this burner account,” Spruell said. “And as the investigation unfolded, we actually learned that it was his burner account. And some of the chatter on there and what was posted there made us a bit concerned. As we walked through it, he decided to step away. He felt that he made a mistake. We came up to the right agreement for him to retire. But even in there, there was some room left over for him potentially coming back at some point if this situation proved to be the case.
“The investigation was the investigation. I can’t get into great detail. But we did find that it was his burner account, he owned the comments in it and felt in his own mind that it was a mistake in terms of how he portrayed some of the things in there and mischaracterized some things.”
Lewis was apologetic about his social media error and says it “won’t happen again.”
“It started very small and got out of hand,” said Lewis, who is 54. “It just went into another direction that it shouldn’t have gone. I don’t feel happy about the situation and how far it went. But I’m very apologetic to the family and to the league. This won’t happen again, and I’m just ready to get back to doing the work…
“I understand the gravity of the situation and how it affected everybody that is around me, from my family to the NBA. When you talk about the NBA, you talk about it all, from the fans to the players. I understand that my body of work showed the unbiasedness and integrity. But my actions crossed it. I have to earn that back, and I’m ready for that task.”
Lewis said he became interested in reinstatement after last season before receiving help from the NBRA. He officiated 1,161 regular-season games, 91 playoff games and six NBA Finals during his 19-year NBA career. Before joining the NBA as a referee, the former guard at HBCU Bethune-Cookman University officiated in the NBA’s developmental league for three seasons.
While he was away from the NBA, Lewis said, NBA referees “collectively” kept in touch and supported him and his family.
Lewis said he didn’t referee during the 2023-24 season but trained referees and served as a supervisor in the HBCU Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference during that time. He began officiating men’s basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season and will continue to referee ACC games while also working in the G League. It’s uncertain when a potential call-up to return to the NBA will happen, but he is looking forward to an opportunity for a 20th season. The Virginia resident says he truly misses the challenge of working in the NBA “with the best players in the world.”
“It will be fun. I think the guys [NBA players] when they see me will welcome me back whether they’re fussing at me or with a smile and nod. We all would feel the same type of way when we see each other,” Lewis said.
