'I would school him': Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang challenges Ted Cruz in hoops

@ABCNews "2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang loosens up for the #DemDebate by shooting some hoops on a Houston court—and tells @ABC News how he's preparing for tomorrow night." @ABCNews "2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang loosens up for the #DemDebate by shooting some hoops on a Houston court—and tells @ABC News how he's preparing for tomorrow night." Photo: ABC News/Twitter Photo: ABC News/Twitter Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close 'I would school him': Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang challenges Ted Cruz in hoops 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

People must think Ted Cruz is an easy mark.

On Wednesday, the U.S. senator from Texas was once again challenged to do battle on the hardwood.

This time, his would-be opponent is Andrew Yang. The Democratic presidential hopeful will take the debate stage at Texas Southern University Thursday night, alongside the nine other top White House contenders.

Yang tweeted that he would "be delighted to beat him in basketball. Video of Yang hitting the court with staffers went public this week.

And Cruz hardly waste any time publishing a retort on social media.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Democratic debate at Texas Southern University will cause road closures, traffic headaches

"Bring it. 4 on 4, you plus three of your paid staffers vs me and three of my paid staffers (no outside ringers). Say, this Friday afternoon in Houston? The loser gives $5k to the (non-political) charity of the winner's choice? Game?"

Yang then issued a more pressure-filled challenge: "Let's play one-on-one. Give the fans a show.

Hmm. You’re taller than I am. From the video, you’re probably a better shot. And, I’ve seen you dunking (on an 8-foot rim). Altogether, pretty strong. So....... https://t.co/hVlhDfKS1W pic.twitter.com/cMepUnKWlu — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 12, 2019

Peter Dawson is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | Peter.Dawson@chron.com| Sign up for breaking news alerts