The NBA could be getting some reinforcements back when it comes to officiating, but it will take some steps for him to get where he once was. Former referee Eric Lewis has been reinstated into the officiating program as a G League official after he retired in 2023 for violating the league's social media policy.
The NBA opened an investigation into Lewis in 2023 after a social media account responded to several posts about the league's officiating, and they defended Lewis in the process. The league found out that the account was connected to one of Lewis' family members, and he was posted on it. Lewis was not able to work the NBA Finals in 2023 after he had been a part of the crew the previous four seasons, and he ended up retiring in August 2023 after 19 seasons.
For the past two seasons, he's worked as an NCAA men's basketball referee. In order to be eligible to rejoin the officiating program, Lewis had to do stress management counseling and training on the use of social media.
Lewis will officiate the G League Showcase game between the Oscela Magic and Noblesville Boom on Dec. 19.
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“I got chill bumps right now thinking about it,” Lewis told ESPN's Andscape. “I'm excited about earning people's trust back, getting back to the work and getting back to the game. What was always the plan when this came about was trying to get back to the NBA. …
“I'm very excited about the [G League] game. It will be really good to get back into that environment and get back part of my life that has been a big part of my officiating career. Get back to that normalcy and familiarity with the top players in the world.”
Lewis has officiated 1,161 regular-season games, 91 playoff games, and six NBA Finals during his 19-year NBA career.