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NBA fires photographer Bill Baptist over offensive meme on Kamala Harris

Utkarsh Bhatla
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NBA fires photographer Bill Baptist

NBA fires photographer: Bill Baptist landed in trouble last night for an offensive meme on Kamala Harris. He will be leaving the NBA Bubble.

Bill Baptist, a Houston based photographer got himself fired after mocking Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris with a meme on Facebook.

The post went viral, as Bill Baptist was called out for being misogynist and insensitive. The issue came to light when Basketball Hall of Famer, Sheryl Swoopes shared the ‘meme’ and absolutely blasted Baptist.

What did Bill Baptist do?

Bill Baptist went ahead and changed the logo of Presidential candidate Joe Biden. He used a derogatory term used for women and shared it on Facebook without any comment on it.

However, the photo was good enough to get him fired, as the meme was extremely offensive to Kamala Harris.

Sheryl Swoopes came up with a hard-hitting statement, calling Baptist out for his mentality and insensitiveness towards women in general.

“So this guy works for the NBA but covers the Houston Rockets. Has been around for a while. Even worked for the Houston Comets. It’s amazing how people will smile in your face but eventually their true colors will show.” Swoopes said in a statement.

Also Read: Jimmy Butler runs a coffee business inside the Bubble; charges $20/cup

The NBA released a statement too after firing him and asking him to leave the Orlando Bubble.

“The photographer is an independent contractor and his services are no longer being used in Orlando.” the NBA said in a statement.

Baptist released a statement after being fired

Baptist was quick to release a statement of his own. He clarified that the meme did not reflect his personal views and that he just shared it as he saw his other friends doing it.

He also confirmed that he had taken down the post from Facebook and was deeply apologetic about the entire incident.

“I deeply regret posting on my facebook page a phrase that I saw and copied from others as a sample of some people’s reactions to Biden’s selection of Senator Harris as his choice for VP. The phrase I posted does not reflect my personal views at all. I should not have been so insensitive to post the statements by others. I sincerely apologize to all of those who have rightfully been offended and I have taken the post down from my FB page. It was a horrible mistake on my part.” Baptist said in a statement.

The NBA have been complimented for taking quick steps to solve the controversy and Bill Baptist will have to wait a long while before working for/with the NBA.

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