As the Celtics beat the Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals, a viral meme of TV reporter Taylor Rooks sitting in the crowd next to a random Boston fan has resurfaced.
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For those who don't know, Rooks is a journalist/broadcaster for Turner Sports and also hosts a show on Bleacher Report.
In the photo, appears a man holding a beer talking to Rooks, however, she seems preoccupied watching the game to pay any attention to what he is saying.
That is to say, with so many people talking about the comical picture, Rooks had to address the meme once again, confirming it was taken awhile back, while also adding she felt sorry for the guy.
Omg this photo is never going to die. 😠sorry to that man https://t.co/Mtvt6lyYmI
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) June 7, 2024
This photo was from a Nets vs. Celtics game last season (March 3, 2023).
The fan, who was talking to Rooks, was actually found, and he had been asked about how he ended up sitting next to the TV reporter in the first place.
"My girlfriend got the tickets for me for Christmas," the New England native said in an interview with brobible.com. "We had four tickets at nosebleed level, but me and her dad moved down after scouting out some seats that no one was sitting in around the middle of the second quarter."
"So I go and sit next to Taylor and I have no idea who she is. I'm a social person, so I start talking. I can make friends at a sporting event pretty easily. I asked her 'Are you a TV reporter?' and she was like 'Yeah.' I said, 'Do you go to a lot of games?' and she said, 'Yeah, this is my first Celtics game in a while.'"
Rooks, who probably was trying to watch the game and didn't want to be bothered, still was polite and answered his questions.
"I think it was literally a 30-second conversation. She was pretty short with her responses, but she was friendly and nice. I guess it just got captured at the worst possible moment. I'm not trying to flirt with her at all; my girlfriend is in the upper section and she saw us on the Jumbotron when it flashed to us with 'TAYLOR ROOKS' at the bottom of the screen."
The same girlfriend that bought him tickets to the game, then saw him on the big screen trying to chat with Rooks, which despite claiming his innocence, isn't a good look. Considering how girls are very understanding about these kinds of things, hopefully his girl believes him.
The 25-year-old kid said it was "cool and also not cool at the same time," when viewing the fact that the whole internet is making fun of him.
"It's all in good fun at the end of the day, and I think I'll go down as a Celtics meme for the rest of my life whether I like it or not. I just kind of have to live with it."
This is getting out of hand now ðŸ˜
Am I missing any? pic.twitter.com/uBWK7uzeEQ— Football Report (@FootballReprt) June 7, 2024
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