Sources: NBA investigating ref over alleged tweets

The NBA has opened an investigation into longtime referee Eric Lewis involving a Twitter account that responded to numerous posts on league officiating and defended Lewis and other NBA referees, league sources confirmed to ESPN.

The account in question, which has since been deleted, was listed under a username “Blair Cuttliff” with the handle @CuttliffBlair.

At potential issue is a league rule against referees commenting on officiating publicly without authorization. If it can be proved Lewis was making such statements, he could face discipline.

Lewis, who is in his 19th season as a referee, has officiated more than 1,100 games and 82 playoff games. He has been one of the NBA’s highest-rated officials in recent years and has been assigned to six Finals games since 2019. He last worked Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers on May 16.

Burner accounts have been an issue in the NBA in the past. In 2018, Philadelphia 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo resigned when he and his wife were linked to burner accounts that criticized some of the team’s players. In 2020, then-Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant admitted that had used multiple burner accounts to interact with fans who criticized him or his team.

NBA reporter Marc Stein first reported the league had opened an investigation into Lewis.