The New York Knicks won the franchise’s first NBA title in 53 years when they defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the 2026 NBA Finals. Star Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson took home Finals MVP honors after a 45-point effort in Game 5 to close out the series.
Throughout Brunson and the Knicks’ playoff run, fans were frothing at the mouth to hold Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon to account, after she previously said that an undersized player, Brunson is 6’2″, couldn’t be the best player on a championship-caliber team.
“If your best player is small, you’re not winning,” she said back in December 2023 as an analyst for ESPN.
As recently as May 26, Hammon stood by her guns.
“I think Jalen Brunson’s a hell of a player, a hell of a player,” she said. “I’m speaking historically on the NBA with what I said. I don’t know why everybody’s so stuck on that. I said it two years ago. I stand by it.”
“I’m never gonna apologize for having an opinion.”
Now that she’s officially been proven wrong, Hammon isn’t apologizing.
“Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong. He proves he’s an outlier, 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 dude, but apologize? I’m never gonna apologize for having an opinion. That’s what ESPN pays me for.”
Becky Hammon on Jalen Brunson leading the Knicks to a championship: “Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong, he proves he’s an outlier, so you can put his name next to Steph Curry and Isaiah Thomas, and I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch.
— Madeline Kenney (@madkenney) June 23, 2026
“I appreciate Becky”
Ironically, Brunson might not have gotten it done without Hammon’s comments. After winning the Finals, Knicks wing Mikal Bridges admitted that her words motivated the point guard.
“I appreciate Becky, no cap. The words she said about can’t win with JB being 1A and he’s too little, all that did was fuel him,” Bridges said. “I don’t care what he said. I know him. He ain’t going to tell y’all. He knows what she said and it fueled him to go be great.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.