A photographer working for the National Basketball League got the boot after he posted a sexist meme about vice presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris.
Photographer Bill Baptist was ejected from the NBA’s competition “bubble” in Orlando for sharing an image on his Facebook page of a mock logo for the new Democratic presidential ticket. It read: “Joe and the Hoe,” apparently referring to Joe Biden and Harris.
WNBA Hall-of-Famer and former Houston Comet Sheryl Swoopes shared a screenshot of the slur on her Facebook page and demanded that Baptist be fired. She knew Baptist from when he covered the Comets and the Houston Rockets:
An NBA spokesman told CNN that Baptist was an independent contractor, and his services were “no longer being used in Orlando.”
Baptist later apologised and removed the post. He called it a “horrible mistake,” and said it “does not reflect my personal view at all.”
“I deeply regret posting on my Facebook page a phrase that I saw and copied from others as a sample of some people’s reaction to Biden’s selection of Senator Harris as his choice for VP,” Baptist said in a statement to KRPC Channel 2 in Houston.
“The phrase I posted does not reflect my personal views at all,” he added. “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.”