WNBA coach Becky Hammon refuses to apologize for her opinion on Jalen Brunson.
In 2023, Hammon said Brunson wasn’t a “1A guy” and said if your best player is small, you’re not going to win on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” At the end of May he doubled down and wondered why everyone was so stuck on it.
Even though Brunson won Finals MVP and led the Knicks to a title, he still refused to apologize for his opinion on Tuesday.
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(Left) Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon coaches against the Phoenix Mercury during the first half in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 17, 2026. (Right) Jalen Brunson is seen during the New York Knicks ticker parade along the Canyon of Heroes in New York City, New York, on June 18, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images; NDZ/Star Max/GC Images)
“Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong. He proves he’s an outlier,” Hammon said after the Aces’ shootaround, according to the New York Post. “So you can put his name next to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas, and I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch.”
“I mean, he was that 1A guy,” Hammon said. “But excuse me, I will never apologize for having an opinion. That’s what ESPN pays me to do.”
The 6-foot-2 Brunson scored 45 points in the Knicks’ 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 and established himself as one of the best players in franchise history.
The Knicks captain then appeared to address Hammon’s comments during the Knicks parade last week when he spoke in front of City Hall.
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Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks celebrates with the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Trophy and Knicks owner James Dolan after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 13, 2026. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“There are a lot of people who have a lot of negative things to say,” Brunson said. “There are a lot of people who have their own opinions. But when you prove them wrong, you don’t have to tell them shit. They don’t deserve it.”
While Brunson may not have directly addressed Hammon, he has been the subject of ire among Knicks fans for his now infamous opinion. Hammon then offered another version of Brunson to “piss off Knicks fans again.”
“Let me piss off Knicks fans again and tell them: I think he’s the greatest Knick of all time,” Hammon said. “Give them something else to talk about… I’ve always been a fan of Jalen Brunson. I was a fan of his at Villanova, in Dallas, and why this comment went off the rails, I have no idea because it was clearly a historical and analytical take.”
When she doubled down in May, she said she was willing to be “proven wrong.”
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New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson warms up before Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 13, 2026. (Scott Wachter/Image Images)
Brunson just concluded his fourth season with the team, but he has already become a franchise icon.
In four seasons with the Knicks, Brunson has averaged 26 points, 5.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. He has made the All-Star team three times in his four seasons and was named NBA Clutch Player of the Year last season.
In the NBA playoffs, Brunson has taken his game to another level. He has averaged 29.4 points, 5.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds in four playoff runs with the Knicks and helped the Knicks end their 53-year playoff drought.
