Dubbed “The Blobfish Basketball Classic,” the late-night host and Texas senator took their feuding to the court for a charity game on Saturday.
Sen. Ted Cruz emerged victorious after facing off against opponent Jimmy Kimmel on the basketball court Saturday. The final score was 11 to 9.
After promoting the match-up dubbed “The Blobfish Basketball Classic” all week long, Kimmel and Cruz faced off for the one-on-one game Saturday afternoon at Texas Southern University.
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host had talked a big game ahead of the event, promising to deliver “Ted Cruz’s second most-embarrassing loss to a TV host in recent memory” when they squared off. Cruz responded with a practice video.
The idea originated when Kimmel likened Cruz to a “blobfish” after the Texas senator attended game seven during the NBA’s Western Conference Finals. Cruz responded on Twitter by challenging the late-night TV host to a face-off on the court and Kimmel accepted.
The game was first to 15, with each basket counting as a single point, but the game got cut short because it was reportedly running too long. Kimmel and Cruz played for two Houston charities — Generation One and Texas Children’s Hospital, respectively — with the loser set to donate $5,000 to the winner’s pick. Attendees were invited to donate to any cause of their choosing.
Heading into the game, Cruz (with home state advantage) was favored to win at 5-11, while Kimmel was listed at 8-5, according to online betting site Bovada.
The showdown will air on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday.
Lauren Huff contributed to this report.
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