Mayor Bill de Blasio found himself the butt of the joke on Tuesday after he donned Brooklyn Nets gear during his morning press conference.
The mayor sported a black Nets jersey under a blue button-down shirt and a flat-brimmed Nets hat as he announced the city’s latest plan to encourage New Yorkers to get their COVID-19 vaccine.
Almost immediately, meme pages on Twitter and Instagram began posting screenshots from the presser, with various captions roasting him for the outfit choice.
“Bill de Blasio looking like an undercover cop in the middle of denying he’s an undercover cop,” internet personality Phillip DeFranco wrote on Twitter.
Another user noted the mayor looked like he was dressed for a skit on Saturday Night Live.
Meanwhile, the popular Instagram meme page, whatisnewyork, posted a photo with a caption that joked the Nets Playoff odds had dropped because of de Blasio’s support for the team.
Other pages compared him to Steve Buscemi’s iconic “fellow kids” scene from NBC’s “30 Rock.”
The mayor seemed to take it all in stride, however, replying to one Twitter user, who asked people to caption the photo, with: “Ya know what they say, dress for the job you want!”
De Blasio only wore the Nets gear for a brief moment during the press conference, only to announce that the Nets are partnering with New York City to open a mobile COVID-19 vaccination site for New Yorkers over the age of 12.
The mobile site will open on May 22, for the Nets’ first home game of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Vaccines will be available to all eligible New Yorkers and ticketed fans.
“The vaccination site will be located at 140 Flatbush Avenue, across the street from Barclays Center, with appointments available the day before and the day of every Nets home game throughout the NBA Playoffs,” the Nets said in a press release. “Walk-in appointments will also be available on a first come, first served basis.”
The Brooklyn team also plans to work with the mayor’s office to provide Playoff home game tickets to 100 fully vaccinated fans who live in the 33 neighborhoods identified by the Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity.
“After the incredibly challenging year that many have experienced, we are looking forward to teaming up with the Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity to distribute Nets playoff tickets to fully vaccinated individuals. It is our hope that this effort will not only build excitement around the NBA Playoffs, but promote the benefits of becoming vaccinated,” said Mandy Gutmann, SVP of Community Relations and Communications, BSE Global.
Mayor de Blasio said he was proud of the team for encouraging New Yorkers to get vaccinated and was excited to be working with them.
“The Nets are stepping up for Brooklyn, for the whole city of New York. The Nets are now going to be joining the battle against COVID,” de Blasio said.
He added that he has high hopes for the Brooklyn team this season: “I’m gonna tell you something: The Nets are going to be in the Playoffs for a long time – all the way to the end.”
He ended the Nets announcement with a quick outfit change during a brief intermission.
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