NBA Reinstates Referee Eric Lewis After Social Media Burner Scandal

The NBA is reinstating longtime referee Eric Lewis ... two years after he hung up his whistle amid an investigation into whether he used a burner account on social media to talk hoops!

The Association released a statement on Friday announcing the move, saying Lewis will begin officiating at the G League Winter Showcase this weekend.

It'll be the first time Lewis will be back on the hardwood for a professional basketball game since 2023, when the league launched a probe into a burner account linked to Lewis, which would constitute a violation of league policy.

He spent the last two years officiating NCAA men's basketball games.

While the NBA never directly revealed whether Lewis was behind the burner, they said they set out several conditions he needed to meet in order to return to the league, "including stress management counseling and training on responsible use of social media."

"While he made a mistake in engaging on social media, our investigation concluded that his behavior did not impact his ability to officiate games fairly and with integrity," Byron Spruell, the NBA's President of League Operations, said.

Lewis first became an NBA referee in 2005, officiating 1,161 games and 91 playoff matchups, including six NBA Finals games, before leaving in '23.

Before becoming an official, Lewis was a player himself, having hooped at Bethune-Cookman University.