The National Basketball Association (NBA) has removed a referee from its Finals officiating crew following a Twitter dual-account controversy.
The NBA released its officiating roster ahead of tipoff on Sunday, removing Eric Lewis, who has worked the Finals for four consecutive seasons since 2019.
There’s a reason for the exclusion. Lewis, who is in his 19th season as an NBA referee, is currently under investigation by the league office for allegedly using a dual Twitter account.
Lewis is suspected of using the account to respond to criticisms of his officiating and other referees on social media.
If these allegations prove to be true, discipline seems unlikely. Unauthorized public comments related to officiating are a violation of league rules.
According to NBA beat reporter Mark Stein, the league office told him that “an investigation is underway into the matter, and he will not be working the Finals.”
It is not yet known when the investigation will conclude or what discipline will be imposed, according to the AP.
In addition to Scott Foster, who will be officiating his 16th Finals, Tony Brothers, Mark Davis (12+), Zach Jarba (10), Ed Malloy (8), John Goble (7), David Guthrie (6), Bill Kennedy (5), Josh Thibeault (4), James Williams, Courtney Kirkland (3) and Kevin Scott, who will be officiating his first Finals.안전놀이터
The officials assigned to the Finals are selected by the NBA Officiating Operations Management Team based on their officiating performance in the previous three rounds of the playoffs.
It’s a testament to their abilities. “Working the NBA Finals is the pinnacle of an NBA officiating career,” said Byron Sprewell, NBA President of League Operations.