Stephen Colbert challenges Barack Obama to a tense wastepaper basketball rematch

May 6, 2026

Two men throw wastepaper balls at a trash can positioned right in front of the camera. A 0-0 scoreboard is visible on the screen.

Back in 2020, in what's still one of the most shocking sporting upsets of the decade so far, Stephen Colbert managed to claim victory over Barack Obama in a game of "wastepaper basketball" — and now they're having a rematch.

In the clip above, after a tour and interview in the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, the two talk smack while throwing their little crumpled balls of paper at a distant trash can. The end result? A match that's not all that closely fought.

We won't tell you who wins, but we will say there's a trophy involved.

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