There were several questionable calls made throughout the 2022-23 NBA season involving the Los Angeles Lakers, but none more so than the one made on January 28 when Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum accidentally fouled LeBron James in the final seconds of regulation…
In other Lakers news, LeBron James may be concerned about whether or not the rumors about referee Eric Lewis are true
James attempted a game-winning layup in the waning seconds of the contest. However, he was struck squarely on the wrist, preventing him from completing the layup. But no one made a call, and the Lakers wound up losing in overtime.
The moment that stands out the most is when Lakers player Patrick Beverley brought a camera onto the court to show referee Eric Lewis that his crew had missed the call, leading to a technical.
Some fans on social media after the game hypothesized that it was because Lewis and his family are Celtics fans that he made favorable calls for Boston. However, until recently, nothing substantial emerged.
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
Fans appear to have uncovered additional questionable social media behavior from Lewis as the NBA playoffs progress and he continues to officiate the league’s most crucial games.
Defending Lewis online, especially from Lakers fans, followers uncovered a Twitter account under the handle “blair cuttliff”:
After receiving so much attention, the NBA is reportedly conducting an investigation into the tweets, as reported by NBA reporter Marc Stein.
The NBA, I'm told, has opened an official review into Twitter activity unearthed this week with frequent mentions of veteran referee Eric Lewis.
More NBA from me: https://t.co/A6ycVmnrjq
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 26, 2023
Shortly after this came to light, Lewis deleted his account, which had followed just the NBA, the NBA officials’ page, the George Mason Women’s Basketball team (where Lewis’ wife is the coach), and a couple of other pages. However, it was later revived, and its perpetrators now say they are Lewis’ brother Mark.
Maybe, but it might just as easily be Eric trying to hide his own tracks. However, James was made aware of this issue and is curious as to whether or not it is accurate.
This Eric Lewis 💩 true??? 🤨
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 27, 2023
The league’s inquiry will reveal the truth, but it seems unlikely that Lewis will face any consequences for defending himself on Twitter.
What has become clear from this incident is that officials, like everyone else, can have prejudices, and the league should definitely do a better job of vetting for such biases before assigning referees to pivotal postseason games.
There’s little that can be done about the 2022-23 season for James and the Lakers, but if the NBA does uncover prejudice in their inquiry, maybe Lewis won’t be refereeing their games next season.
READ MORE:
