Network storm. A Twitter account that operated without identifying its owner was exposed over the weekend by users and raised a very reasonable suspicion that its operator was veteran NBA referee Eric Lewis. The account featured tweets referring only to stories about the judge himself — and defending him.
The best league in the world is taking seriously the hidden account, which was deleted shortly after the revelation, but not before users pointed out that Lewis posted a photo online of himself and his family wearing jerseys of the Boston Celtics, who are currently struggling in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The suspicion that arises from all the data is that Lewis has tilted games or alleged refereeing decisions in Boston's favor over the years, and the one who was quick to respond to this is Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who during the year in a loss to Boston did not get the whistle for a foul in his favor, even though Lewis stood nearby.
This Eric Lewis 💩 true??? 🤨
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 27, 2023
LeBron wasn't the only one to respond. Another Lakers player, Patrick Beverley, also tweeted about the incident in which he received a technical foul from Lewis after he "hijacked" a sports cameraman's camera during a game to show Lewis that he had missed a clear foul in his favor.
LeBron James. A sarcastic tweet, photo: USA TODAY Sports
Lewis has yet to respond to the accusations, but the network doesn't feel sorry for him. Another claim was made by GUNZ, a user who was able to show that since June 2022, the Celtics' record in games judged by Lewis is 1:15 in their favor. And according to him, probably a little more as well.
The Celtics were 15-1 as of June 2022 anytime Eric Lewis was the referee. If I thought it'd make any difference in the league actually doing anything about it, I'd add his record this year. Well, we know it's at least 16-1 now for them don't we? 🤔 https://t.co/NF8otuYKA9
— Gunz (@TheGunzShow) January 29, 2023
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It's not yet clear where the investigation into the 52-year-old referee will go, but the NBA, which likes to keep it clean, could punish him severely and possibly end his 18-year career on the court.
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