Jimmy Kimmel’s Viral Moment With UCLA Champions
ICYMI: The UCLA women’s basketball team won its first-ever NCAA national championship last weekend, and it called for a big celebration!
They beat South Carolina 79-51, making it the team’s first national title since 1978. And the bragging rights don’t stop there! They had a 28-point lead, the third-largest in a Division I women’s championship final.
Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Angela Dugalić from UCLA and coach Cori Close recently came to see us. Jimmy Kimmel live to talk about the historic victory, taking their championship trophy with them.
From the immediate kickoff of celebrations at Rocco’s Tavern in Westwood to their 31-game winning streak this season, the girls had a lot to say. “All season long, we really cared about the one we just won,” Cori said of the championship game.
Lauren was also named Most Valuable Player, and when asked if she preferred MOP or MVP, she commented:
And with the rise of women’s sports, the team went on to talk about their growing audience over the past four years and their gratitude for all the fan support.
It’s the end of an era for six graduated players (including the four who appeared on the show), which means the WNBA draft is on the horizon. “They will set a record for the most players ever drafted from one school and one class,” Cori said. And the girls think “it will be fun” to compete against each other if they end up on different teams.
When talking about the big win, they remained unfazed despite the fact that “all of ESPN bet against [them]“Former President Obama even congratulated the team, whose girls were very enthusiastic.
But when asked if President Trump had congratulated them, there was a bunch of crickets and they revealed they hadn’t heard from him. “I’m sure he’s busy,” Jimmy said. “In two weeks you will hear from him.” The girls burst out laughing.
Jimmy then hilariously presented a “fake” trophy for the team to give to Trump if they visit the White House. “He won’t know it, but when you bring a trophy, sometimes he takes it and keeps it for himself,” Jimmy said.
“So it’s up to you to take it to the White House, and then you can say, ‘President Trump, we want you to have this.’ He will be so happy,” Jimmy continued. “It’s called the old switcheroo.”
Watch the team’s full interview here.
What did you think of the interview? Post your favorite moment or congratulate the champions in the comments!
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