Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin took a shot at Ted Cruz Wednesday after the Texas senator flopped on making a basketball movie reference during an Indiana campaign speech.
Cruz mistakenly called a
basketball hoop a "ring" while attempting to emulate a famous scene from the sports movie "Hoosiers."
Palin, who co-captained her high school basketball team and helped it win the Alaska state championship, poked fun at Cruz's gaffe in a
Facebook post.
During the aforementioned "Hoosiers" scene, the coach of the Hickory High School basketball team played by Gene Hackman tried to relax his players by taking measurements under the basket and from the basket to the floor.
"I think you'll find these are the exact same measurements as our gym back in Hickory," Hackman said.
Cruz and a campaign aide tried to mimic the scene Wednesday night.
"Bruce, I want to ask you something," Cruz said. "Do you have a tape measure with you?"
After Bruce replied yes, Cruz said, "Tell me something, how tall is that basketball rim?"
The aide said it was the standard 10 feet off the ground.
"Ten feet. You know, the amazing thing is that basketball ring here in Indiana is the same height as it is in New York City and every other place in this country," Cruz said. "And there is nothing that Hoosiers cannot do."
Cruz said Wednesday he simply stumbled over his words.
"You know, look, sometimes when you're speaking and you guys have cameras in your face, you say things, you stumble over words," Cruz said,
reports The Hill.
"I know nobody in the media has ever stumbled over a word. You've never said anything on air that was the wrong word at the wrong time."
Cruz then joked his campaign staff "wanted me to run laps" following the flub.
Cruz trails Donald Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but on Wednesday he announced he'll make former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina his
vice presidential running mate should he earn the nomination this summer.
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