‘Tonight Show’ Host Jimmy Fallon Dominated by Bernie Sanders in Free Throw Contest

Politician Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack in early October during a trip to Las Vegas. He had a clogged artery and had to get two stents put in, but that didn’t keep him from shooting free throws on the basketball court a mere week later. Sanders continued to show his recovery during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in which he made more free throws than the show’s host.

As a video on YouTube showed, Fallon started out the interview in traditional fashion while sitting at his desk. He asked Sanders about the health scare, as well as any potential effect it might have on his hopes of becoming President of the United States. However, Fallon cut the interview short in order to test Sanders’ skills on the court.

The pair moved over to where a hoop and some basketballs were set up, where they competed in a short-lived free throw contest. Sanders racked up three points to Fallon’s two before the host called it quits with one final question.

“This time next year, will you be President of the United States?” Fallon asked to finish off the interview. Sanders responded, “why not?” before grabbing a basketball and sinking a layup.

This may have seemed like a strange way to conduct an interview, but Fallon wanted to truly test Sanders’ skills after seeing a viral video of the potential presidential candidate shooting hoops. Considering that this happened a week after his heart attack, Fallon was fascinated by the fact that Sanders made all three of the shots on the video.

Throughout the remainder of the interview, Sanders did reveal that he has given some thought to a potential running mate and that he thinks there are a lot of good choices. However, he did not want to delve any deeper into the topic due to it being a bit premature. He wants to win the nomination first before deciding who his potential vice president will be.

For now, he will continue to shoot free throws while preparing for the heart of the political season. Sanders revealed that he has been back on the campaign trail full time for the last couple of weeks. He hopes to continue doing so as long as his health allows. Although Sanders did say that this experience taught him to trust his symptoms more, which is what he wanted to share with anyone watching.

(Photo Credit: Alex Wong/Getty)