Twitter burner accounts are nothing new to the NBA world. Over the years, multiple NBA stars have been accused of having burner accounts in order to save their reputation online. 2-time NBA champion Kevin Durant is the biggest name involved in the accusations. As we approach the 2023 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets, one such burner account is grabbing all the headlines. In fact, this controversy even had LeBron James talking.
Interestingly, the account does not belong to a player. It reportedly belongs to veteran NBA referee Eric Lewis, who has been in charge of over 1000 NBA games.
The league association takes action against controversial veteran referee
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets are right around the corner. Hours before the game, the league released the list of the officials for the seven-game series. It had eminent names like Tony Brothers, and Marc Davis, among others. One name was, however, missing from the list.
The NBA, I'm told, has opened an official review into Twitter activity unearthed this week with frequent mentions of veteran referee Eric Lewis.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 26, 2023
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq
It is Eric Lewis. He has officiated over 1000 NBA games and had been chosen to officiate in the last four NBA Finals. Lewis has been criticized this season for his suspicious officiating of certain NBA games.
The league has opened investigations into a burner account that reportedly belongs to Lewis. When the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Boston Celtics in January, Lewis missed an important call on LeBron James. The poor officiating cost the Lakers the game.
Naturally, fans on the internet were talking about an account going by the name of ‘blair cuttliff,’ who repeatedly defended Lewis’ calls. Many got suspicious and accused Eric Lewis of handling a burner account. It seems the fans’ claims were true as the league has decided to punish Lewis for his actions.
“Regarding Eric Lewis and the social media posts, we are continuing to review the matter and he will not be working the finals,” said an NBA spokesperson. In addition, LeBron James certainly isn’t the biggest fan of Eric Lewis.
LeBron James has a few thoughts on the Lewis controversy
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Lakers superstar was one of the first names to call out Lewis for his inefficiency in the game against the Celtics. When his online antics started doing the rounds of the internet, the four-time NBA champion gave his thoughts.
He tweeted, “This Eric Lewis [s–t] true???” along with an emoji. In fact, Patrick Beverly received a technical foul after he grabbed a camera to show photographic evidence of the foul on James.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY: Lewis Hamilton & Leonardo DiCaprio Witness a LeBron James Masterclass at the 2023 NBA Playoffs
What are your thoughts on the Eric Lewis controversy? Let us know in the comments below.