‘You’re On’: Senators Gillibrand and Cruz Bet on the NBA Finals

The NBA Finals appear capable of bridging even a partisan divide as Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, and Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, have placed a friendly wager on their home states.With the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs set to face off at the Frost Bank Center in Texas on Wednesday for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, Mr. Cruz took to X on Monday to goad the New York senator into a bet.“@SenGillibrand care to make a wager?” the longtime Texas resident wrote. He proposed that if the Knicks win — which he predicted is “not gonna happen!” — Ms. Gillibrand and her team would have to feast on “Texas BBQ, Shiner Bock beer, & Blue Bell ice cream.” If the Spurs prevail, the loser would have to don the winner’s jersey. He signed off with: “Deal?”Ms. Gillibrand responded with an enthusiastic “you’re on!” — adding that if the Spurs “somehow win the series,” she would treat Mr. Cruz and his staff to “the world-famous Joe’s Pizza and Brooklyn Lager.” She closed with “Go NY Go!”The two senators are only the latest political figures to get caught up in the Finals fever, though their exchange may be the friendliest. Over the weekend, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas trolled Governor Kathy Hochul of New York by posting an AI-generated image of himself in a Spurs jersey, dunking on a Knicks-uniformed Ms. Hochul.“Spurs about to dunk on Knicks like Texas has been dunking on New York,” Mr. Abbott wrote. “Go Spurs Go.”Ms. Hochul fired back with a jab at Mr. Abbott’s stance against transgender competing athletes in women’s sports: “BREAKING — Greg Abbott comes out for men and women competing on the same court.”Wednesday will mark the Knicks’ first Finals appearance since 1999. The Spurs last played for the title in 2014.

‘You’re On’: Senators Gillibrand and Cruz Bet on the NBA Finals

‘You’re On’: Senators Gillibrand and Cruz Bet on the NBA Finals

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