NBA referee Eric Lewis. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

NBA reportedly looking into potential referee burner account on Twitter

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 5/27/23

No sport knows social media drama quite like the NBA, and we have another potential Twitter burner account that is getting the league's attention.

Longtime NBA writer Marc Stein reported on Saturday morning that the league is looking into Twitter activity linked to an account that is suspected to be a burner account for referee Eric Lewis.

The now-deleted Twitter account was discovered by social media users after it defended Lewis from fan criticism on several occasions.

Some screenshots were compiled.

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

It remains to be seen what the NBA would actually do to punish Lewis if it is found to be his account, but this is not the first time the league has dealt with something like this.

Back in 2018 former Philadelphia 76ers executive Bryan Colangelo resigned from the team following an investigation that discovered a social media account linked to him that was sharing information about the team.

Lewis has been a referee in the NBA for 19 seasons and officiated NBA Finals games during the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons.

He has faced harsh criticism from NBA fans this season, especially after he was at the center of a controversial call during a Los Angeles Lakers-Boston Celtics game.

That was the game where a non-call on LeBron James resulted in Patrick Beverley showing a referee a picture of the foul.

James, of course, had his own social media reaction to Saturday's news and the NBA's investigation.