The NBA formalized this Friday the return ofEric Lewis in his refereeing program, but through the back door: he will thus return to service in the G-League and will start this weekend, during the Winter Showcase.
Aged 54, Eric Lewis retired in August 2023 while the league was conducting an internal investigation into possible violations of its policy related to “social networks”. The affair caused a stir in the spring of 2023, with the referee being accused of having kept an anonymous X/Twitter account to defend himself. Since then, Eric Lewis had bounced back to the NCAA, where he officiated for the last two seasons.
The NBA specifies that this return is part of a “joint trajectory” and that Eric Lewis fully cooperated in the investigation into his digital activities during his NBA period. To become eligible again, he had to complete several steps, including support in stress management and training on the responsible use of social networks.
“For nearly twenty years, Eric established himself as one of the best referees in the NBA,” said Byron Spruell, president of league operations. “Our investigation concluded that his behavior did not impact his ability to officiate with fairness and integrity. »
An NBA referee for 19 seasons, Eric Lewis officiated 1,161 regular season games and 91 playoff games, including six Finals. Before joining the Big League, he had already spent three seasons in the G-League.
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