‘DISRESPECTFUL’

NBA Kicks Photographer Out of Bubble Over Offensive Kamala Harris Post

Bill Baptist, who had been an independent contractor working in the league’s bubble, later apologized for sharing the meme.

A sports photographer has been dismissed from the NBA bubble over an offensive post he posted on social media about Democratic vice-presidential pick Sen. Kamala Harris.

Bill Baptist, the photographer, posted a fake campaign logo that read “Joe and the Hoe” to his Facebook page earlier this week. The sexist post was then flagged to the NBA by WNBA Hall of Fame player Sheryl Swoopes. He has since been dismissed from the league’s tightly controlled “bubble” at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, which has served as the home base for the league’s 2020 season restart amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Baptist is an independent contractor, an NBA spokesman said. The photographer issued his own apology, writing: “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.”