Bernie Sanders briefly traded policy questions for basketball talk during a Capitol Hill interview, showing off his shooting form and joking that he might still have an NBA career ahead of him.
The 84-year-old Vermont senator did not have a basketball or hoop available, but he raised his arms, released an imaginary shot and held his follow-through in a congressional hallway.
“I think I could make the NBA,” Sanders joked after demonstrating his jumper during the August 5th exchange with TMZ DC.
The moment followed a conversation about how Sanders relaxes away from politics, including the basketball and soccer games he plays with his four grandchildren.
Sanders Recreated His Jump Shot in the Hallway
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When asked whether he still had a decent jump shot, Sanders responded by demonstrating rather than simply answering. He positioned his hands as though he were holding a basketball, moved through the shooting motion and kept his arm extended in a confident follow-through.
TMZ reported that the senator reviewed his own form before offering his playful NBA prediction.
Sanders said he plays basketball and soccer with his grandchildren when he has time away from his Senate work. He acknowledged that the younger members of the family have started beating him, a development he jokingly called a “real problem.” Sanders also identified basketball and regular walking as two of the activities that help him remain active.
His Basketball History Began in Brooklyn
Sanders grew up in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended P.S. 197. A biographical timeline published by the Sanders Institute says he played on the elementary school’s basketball team when it won a borough championship.
He continued returning to the court during his political career. After winning the 2016 New Hampshire presidential primary, Sanders played basketball with members of his family while television cameras captured him repeatedly making shots. In November 2019, he was filmed making five consecutive attempts on a smaller outdoor hoop.