Why Becky Hammon won’t apologize for her Jalen Brunson championship take originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Jalen Brunson proved many people wrong by leading the New York Knicks to the 2026 NBA title, but no one drew more criticism than Becky Hammon.
The Las Vegas Aces coach once said that Brunson was too small to be the best player on a title contender, something Brunson seemed to take to heart. Now that Brunson has officially become the best player on a championship team, many fans wanted Hammon to apologize for her take.
Hammon finally addressed the Knicks’ title on Tuesday, but she refused to apologize for her take from a few years ago. Here’s what Hammon said.
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Why Becky Hammon won’t apologize for her Jalen Brunson championship take
Hammon spoke publicly about the Knicks winning the championship on Tuesday, the first time she addressed the NBA title since the Knicks clinched. Of course, the topic of conversation was Jalen Brunson, as Hammon once said he was too small to lead a team to a title.
Hammon credited Brunson for the Knicks’ championship run, but said he was an outlier akin to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas. However, she didn’t apologize for what she said.
“Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong,” Hammon said. “He proves he’s an outlier, so you can put his name next to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas. I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch. I mean, he was that 1A dude. But apologize? I’m never going to apologize for having an opinion. That’s what ESPN pays me for.”
In NBA History, smaller guards typically don’t lead teams to NBA titles, with Isiah Thomas and Stephen Curry considered outliers. Hammon now considers Brunson one of those outliers, but she still believes in the basketball philosophy.
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Becky Hammon comments on Jalen Brunson
In 2023, as Brunson was in the middle of his second season with the Knicks, Hammon spoke on ESPN about how she didn’t think he could be tha best player on a championship team.
“They don’t have a dude…you got to have a 1A dude,” Hammon said at the time. “He’s too small. If your best player is small, you’re not winning.”
Becky Hammon on why the Knicks can’t win a championship:
“They don’t have a dude… you got to have a 1A dude.”
Perkins: “They do have that dude…Jalen Brunson.”
Hammon: “He too small. If your best player is small, you’re not winning.” pic.twitter.com/E5Y6oZYO7u
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) June 14, 2026
Brunson had led the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs in the previous season, but he was still in the early stages of being the Knicks top player. Over the next 2.5 seasons, Brunson took New York deeper into the playoffs, culminating in the NBA championship this year.
