Ted Cruz Defeats Jimmy Kimmel In Charity Blobfish Basketball Classic
Two great charities win
Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) faced off in a game of one-on-one, and Cruz beat Kimmel 11-9. The loser agreed to donate $5,000 to the winner’s charity of choice, though both charities—Cruz’s choice Generation One and Kimmel’s choice Texas Children’s Hospital—were ultimately included.
It all started when Kimmel joked that “the Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets in the NBA’s Western Conference finals because the Rockets had a bad-luck charm: Ted Cruz. Kimmel mocked his looks, suggesting fans thought it was “Grandpa Munster Bobblehead Night.” Then he said “he looks like a blobfish” — a species ranked number one on the Ugliest Animals list.”
Cruz was up to having some fun with that, so he responded via Twitter:
.@jimmykimmel All right, Big Guy…you talk a good game. You besmirched my support for the @HoustonRockets ? 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. https://t.co/BWvAP5VOtM
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 31, 2018
Kimmel and Cruz went back and forth in a hilarious exchange about dress codes before agreeing to the challenge set by Cruz. Thankfully, neither contender opted to wear short shorts, a crop top, or a kilt.
Kimmel and Cruz engaged in some pre-game trash talk:
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
Leading up to the game, Kimmel and Cruz shared via Twitter.
The crowd is fired up! #KimmelvsCruz? #CruzToVictory pic.twitter.com/jvMsdsU0Np
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 16, 2018
Stretching with my physical therapist. #KimmelvsCruz #BlobfishBasketballClassic pic.twitter.com/PKsYdTVKFN
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) June 16, 2018
A couple of pregame interviews #KimmelvsCruz? #CruzToVictory pic.twitter.com/rP6nXG8Qdx
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 16, 2018
Ultimately, though, Cruz was victorious.
The Houston Chronicle reports:
It was the Thunderdome from “Mad Max” or the coliseum from “Spartacus,” if either Max or Sparty were two, middle-aged American men playing a slow-motion car-crash of half-court basketball for charity and political one upsmanship.
Conservative Texas Sen. Ted Cruz triumphed over liberal ABC late-night host/comedian Jimmy Kimmel with a hard-won 11-9 victory in the first Blobfish Basketball Classic at Texas Southern University’s Health and Physical Education Arena Saturday.
The event, which turned out to be a Coachella festival of air balls, missed shots and footwork that would make a sloth look like Usain Bolt, was sparked by Twitter trash-talk that started after Cruz posted a picture of himself supporting the Houston Rockets over the Golden State Warriors during Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Kimmel joked that Cruz resembled a blobfish, a not particularly attractive creature that dwells at the bottom of the ocean.
Both men were gracious in their respective victory and defeat.
IT'S FOR THE KIDS! When Sen. @tedcruz and @JimmyKimmelLive hit the basketball court today, the real winners will be @TexasChildrens and @generation1TX. Learn more about the charities close to the hearts of both men: https://t.co/z1fkHJhyfv pic.twitter.com/EMdoj6fuf2
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) June 16, 2018
The winner tonight? @generation1TX and @TexasChildrens
Support them below:
Generation One: https://t.co/w1DSdwizi1
Texas Children’s: https://t.co/qtF1BnAvLI pic.twitter.com/gVCKirPHxz
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 17, 2018
Agreed. Two great charities run by great people. https://t.co/VBDhB8YNso
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) June 17, 2018
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Comments
I guess calling someone a blobfish isn’t racist?
No dunks allowed, I take it?
White men can’t jump.
Well good for the charities but if this is somehow supposed to make me feel all warm and cuddly about Kimmel then they can forget it. This entire charade proved nothing and except for some minor charity contribution, accomplished nothing.
It sure didn’t modify Kimmel’s future behavior or anyone else on the left.
Waste of effort. Just the sort of thing the Left loves to do to misdirect the justified anger at all that the left has done to destroy the US.
I see what you are saying, but I saw this as a win for Cruz. He’s a great guy with a great sense of humor, and he’s a good sport. He looks great in this, and that he beat Kimmel is the cherry on top.
Yeah I think he comes out really good on this because he 1. won, 2. took all the jokes in stride, and 3. banded together to raise money for good causes.
oh and that list was not intended to be in order of importance
This story is completely devastating to the left-wing narrative about the evil and terrifying danger of the GOP monsters.
That’s the biggest win of all — and Cruz would have accomplished that even if he lost the game, as long as he was a gracious loser.
It’s nice to see both of them setting aside their egos for two good causes. Two thumbs up!
I’d be okay with this being a turning point in politics.
Imagine that, Whiney Jimmy Kimmel has his own physical therapist. Yep, he can relate to the common man 😉