The NBA has reportedly launched an investigation right into a Twitter account that customers prompt could possibly be utilized by veteran league referee Eric Lewis, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.
The account @CuttliffBlair, which has since been scrubbed of its tweets, made rounds on Twitter after consumer @PabloEscoburner — in a tweet giving a hat tip to fellow consumer @Mikey_Wyllin — shared over three minutes of display recordings that confirmed tweets that criticized customers’ takes and defended Lewis’ officiating expertise.
The consumer identified that the account adopted NBA and referee-related accounts together with the George Mason College ladies’s basketball crew account. The crew is coached by Vanessa Blair‑Lewis, Lewis’ spouse.
The account seems to nonetheless be up — and following @PabloEscoburner — as of Sunday morning.
The account later replied to @PabloEscoburner’s Twitter thread and claimed to be “MARK Lewis,” including that they had been Eric Lewis’ older brother.
“I’m sorry that I put E, on this state of affairs, however this ain’t Watergate. You’re proper, the account WILL be coming down. Twitter shouldn’t be this vindictive. Sorry to inconvenience you,” @CuttliffBlair wrote late Thursday.
“Simply lean into it, bro. No disgrace. 😂,” @PabloEscoburner wrote back.
Lewis, who has been a referee within the NBA for almost 20 seasons, has officiated over 80 playoff video games and 6 NBA Finals video games, in keeping with the Nationwide Basketball Referees Affiliation.
In a tweet on Saturday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James raised his eyebrow on the risk that Eric Lewis could possibly be linked to the account.
James’ former Lakers teammate and now-Chicago Bulls participant Patrick Beverley additionally weighed in on the account, referring to a January sport during which he grabbed a digital camera in an try to indicate Lewis that he missed a foul.
The transfer earned Beverley a technical foul.
The allegations reminded NBA followers of ex-Philadelphia 76ers government Bryan Colangelo, who resigned from his publish in 2018 after a report from The Ringer tied him to a lot of Twitter burner accounts that criticized former and present gamers on the Philly crew.