Jimmy Kimmel's Viral Moment With UCLA Champions

by Michele BirdBuzzFeedBuzzFeed Contributor

ICYMI: The UCLA women's basketball team won its first-ever NCAA National Championship last weekend, and that called for a major celebration!

Chris Graythen / Getty Images

They defeated 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.

Sarah Stier / Getty Images

UCLA's Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Angela Dugalić, and coach Cori Close recently dropped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to talk about the historical win, bringing their championship trophy along for the ride.

ABC

From immediately kicking off the celebrations at Rocco's Tavern in Westwood to their 31-game winning streak this season, the girls had a lot to talk about. "We all really cared all season long about the one we just got," Cori said about the championship game.

ABC

Lauren was also named Most Outstanding Player, and when asked if she preferred MOP vs. MVP, she commented:

ABC

And with women's sports skyrocketing, the team later talked about their increased viewership over the last four years and their gratitude for all the fan support.

ABC

It's the end of an era for six graduating players (including the four who appeared on the show), meaning 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'll be fun" to compete against each other if they end up on different teams.

ABC

When talking about the big win, they were unfazed despite having "all of ESPN bet against [them]." Former president Obama even congratulated the team, which the girls were pretty excited about.

@BarackObama / Via x.com

But when asked if President Trump had congratulated them, there were a bunch of crickets, and they revealed they had not heard from him. "I'm sure he's busy," said Jimmy. "In two weeks, you'll hear from him." The girls giggled with laughter.

ABC

Jimmy then hilariously presented a "fake" trophy that the team can present to Trump if they visit the White House. "He's not gonna know, but when you bring a trophy, sometimes he takes it and keeps it for himself," Jimmy said.

ABC

"So, this is for you guys to take to the White House, and then you can say, 'President Trump, we want you to have this.' He'll be so happy," Jimmy continued. "It's called the old switcheroo."

ABC

Watch the team's full interview here.

What did you think of the interview? Drop your favorite moment or congratulate the champs in the comments!

Comments