Eric Lewis will probably want to avoid documenting his path back to the NBA on social media.
The referee, who retired in 2023 after being investigated by the league for using a burner account to defend himself and other officials, was reinstated into the officiating program.
He’ll get started on his path back to the NBA by starting in the G League, starting with a Winter Showcase game on Friday between the Osceola Magic and Noblesville Boom.
“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.”
Lewis was connected to a Twitter account, @CuttliffBlair, which the NBA found to belong to him. He “owned the comments” made on the profile, according to Byron Spruell, the president of league operations.
“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.”
Lewis knows that he has work to do — and it excited for his second chance.
“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.”
