The world saw LeBron James meltdown on the court back in January when a crucial foul was missed by NBA officials. While playing against the Boston Celtics, Bron found himself in a tight spot as he stood to make the winning shot. However, Jayson Tatum‘s contact with The King prevented the shot from going in and the Celtics emerged as victors.
Now, 6 months following the ?BullSh*t? call, an NBA official finds himself in trouble.
Investigation ends in LeBron James foul call
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Eric Lewis, an NBA referee, has been under scrutiny for some time now. The investigation began following suspicious activity on Twitter in May, as an account often kept mentioning Lewis. This account defended the controversial referee and other league officials from online hate. Lewis had the honor of officiating games since 2019. However, the investigation surrounding him prevented him from doing so in the 2023 NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat.
The investigation opened in May following “blair cuttliff’s,” tweet. It is likely that it was a burner account operated by Lewis. The account is now deleted. However, these are a few of the account’s replies:
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
Unfortunately, the investigation into this account has now been closed as he took on the ultimate punishment.
Lewis announced that he is now retiring from the league. The NBA released a statement on Wednesday regarding the same. The statement read, ?NBA referee Eric Lewis has informed the league office that he is retiring, effective immediately. In light of his decision, the NBA?s investigation into social media activity has been closed.?
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Now that Lewis will no longer take part in the league, no details were released about his potential burner account. His last game as a referee was during game 1 of the matchup between the Nuggets and the Lakers on May 16.
However, Lakers fans won’t surely forget the apology he sent out.
NBA referee releases apology for the Lakers
During a crucial matchup between the Lakers and the Celtics this season, Jayson Tatum struck LeBron James on his shooting arm. Lebron attempted what could have been a game-winning layup. However, the strike of Tatum’s arm made the shot come up short. And Lebron wasn’t having it. He shouted at the officials and pointed out how it was a foul.
Blatant foul on Jason Tatum here. Lebron goes crazy. Got a technical too lol.
Wtf is this Mickey Mouse ref lookin at?
NBA is sorry!
— Mike Daddino (@mike_daddino) January 29, 2023
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However, there was no foul called, and the Celtics went on to win 125-121 in overtime. Anthony Davis called it “bulls*it” and claimed the team had been “cheated. “ Dennis Schroder suggested that the officials themselves should be penalized for such errors. However, following the Celtics victory, the NBA referees apologized for their error on Twitter.
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The official account of NBA Referees wrote, “Like everyone else, referees make mistakes. We made one at the end of last night?s game and that is gut-wrenching for us. This play will weigh heavily and cause sleepless nights as we strive to be the best referees we can be.”
What are your thoughts on Eric Lewis’ retirement? Let us know in the comments below!