Cruz Defeats Kimmel 11-9 in Charity Basketball Game

Cruz Kimmel basketball

Late last month, Sen. Ted Cruz called out late night host Jimmy Kimmel after the comedian said that Cruz looks like a “blobfish.” Kimmel made the comment during a joke about Cruz’s appearance at a recent Houston Rockets game; “When Ted arrived at the Toyota Center, some of the fans mistakenly thought it was Grandpa Munster Bobblehead Night. I mean, look at him. [Cheers and applause] He looks, and I’m not joking here, he looks like a blobfish.”

Cruz responded by challenging Kimmel to a game of basketball, with a catch. (RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel and Ted Cruz Agree to Charity Basketball Game). “All right, Big Guy…you talk a good game. You besmirched my support for the @HoustonRockets,” Cruz tweeted. “So let’s settle this man-to-man: one-on-one, hoops (or “ring-ball,” if you prefer). The loser gives $5k to the (non-political) charity of the winner’s choice.” Kimmel immediately accepted, under one condition that thankfully wasn’t met:

Kimmel later joked on his show that this game would mark the second time that Cruz was defeated by a show host. Kimmel released a promo ahead of the game:

https://youtu.be/vueCLY1z7RU?t=1m18s

And Cruz released a video showing that Duke basketball player Grayson Allen (who looks like Cruz’s doppelganger) might be subbing in for him:

The game was played on Saturday, but parts of the game won’t be broadcast until tonight on Kimmel’s show. The game took place at Texas Southern University, which attracted a packed audience at the court’s 8,100 seat venue (though half of the seats were blocked off because this wasn’t a full court game).

Throughout the game, Kimmel reportedly tried to make the game political, which the audience wanted none of. The Houston Chronicle said that “While Kimmel stopped play a couple of times to try to engage Cruz in a discussion about detentions and family separations along the southern border as well as health coverage of those with pre-existing conditions, Cruz’s responses were drowned out by crowd noise with many shouting “play ball!” That prompted Kimmel to yell, “That’s as close as we’re going to get to a town hall.”

In the end, Cruz defeated Kimmel 11-9, in a game that was supposed to be won by the first person to reach 15 points. After two hours, they changed the rules to shorten the game, which was widely regarded as one of the worst-played basketball games of history. “We apologize to the sport of basketball”, Kimmel said at the conclusion of the event.

Some photos from the event are below (credit to the Houston Chronicle):

Cruz Kimmel basketball

Cruz Kimmel basketball

Cruz Kimmel basketball

Cruz Kimmel basketball

As a result of the game, $5,000 will be donated to two local charities, the non-profit Generation One and Texas Children’s Hospital.

By Matt

Matt is the co-founder of Unbiased America and a freelance writer specializing in economics and politics. He’s been published... More about Matt

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