Ted Cruz and Jimmy Kimmel played their much-anticipated “Blobfish Basketball Classic” on Saturday afternoon at Texas Southern University, and Kimmel’s prediction of “worst basketball game ever” might not have been far from the mark.
Before the game, Cruz posted a video with Duke star (and Cruz lookalike) Grayson Allen.
Rest easy, @jimmykimmel… you won’t be playing @GraysonJAllen today, but it looks like he’s made his pick… #KimmelvsCruz #CruzToVictory pic.twitter.com/GGct8mfrIu
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 16, 2018
And Kimmel did a lot of stretching.
Stretching with my physical therapist. #KimmelvsCruz #BlobfishBasketballClassic pic.twitter.com/PKsYdTVKFN
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) June 16, 2018
The two talked a lot of trash in between the challenge and the actual game:
To beat a blobfish, you must first understand a blobfish. Marine Biologist Dr. Sandy Trautwein weighs in… @AquariumPacific @TedCruz #KimmelvsCruz #BlobfishBasketballClassic #Cruzin4aLosin pic.twitter.com/GHF83H9xgW
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) June 15, 2018
But neither really backed it up, missing more than 100 shots between them and scoring an anemic number of points on the way to a 2-point Cruz win. (RELATED: Cruz Favored Over Kimmel In Charity Basketball Game)
Thankfully, the one definite winner was charity. The Dallas Morning News reports: “As the loser, Kimmel pledged after the game to double his donation to Generation One to $10,000. Cruz also pledged $10,000 to Kimmel’s charity, Texas Children’s Hospital. When setting the rules, each player chose an organization with the agreement that the loser would donate $5,000 to the winner’s charity of choice.”
Hundreds of fans reportedly showed up to see the action. The two were only supposed to play to 15 points, but eventually shortened the game to 11 points after 40 minutes of play.
“In the spirit of bipartisanship, we’re going to shorten the game to 11 [points],” Kimmel told the crowd, as reported by the Dallas Morning News.
The game, which has been in the works since Kimmel compared Cruz to a “blobfish” in May, will air on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Monday night. (RELATED: Things Got Weird After Ted Cruz Challenged Jimmy Kimmel To A Game Of ‘Ring Ball’)
Cruz and Kimmel not only sparred on the basketball court, the pair also discussed relevant political issues as they rested from the basketball action.
“I feel like this is the closest we’re going to get to a town hall,” said the late night host.
“Ted, you’re a good sport,” Kimmel told Cruz after the game. “I still think you’re a terrible senator.”
“Kids, at least you got to see your daddy win something,” Kimmel told Cruz’s daughters as they joined him on the court after the game.