
Years ago, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon made the rounds for claiming the New York Knicks would never win a championship with Jalen Brunson as their go-to guy.
She pointed out that, outside of Stephen Curry and Isaiah Thomas, undersized point guards had never led their teams to titles.
That's why Knicks fans — and even players — were quick to show their receipts and demand an apology after Brunson earned Finals MVP honors.
Nevertheless, Hammon won't apologize or even back down from her take. If anything, she'll double down on it.
“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," Hammon said, per Madeline Kenney of The New York Post. “I mean, he was that 1A dude, but like, apologize, I'm never gonna apologize for having an opinion, that's what ESPN pays me for."
Hammon con’t: “I mean, he was that 1A dude, but like, apologize, I'm never gonna apologize for having an opinion, that's what ESPN pays me for.”
— Madeline Kenney (@madkenney) June 23, 2026
Truth be told, Hammon didn't have anything to apologize for. She didn't disrespect Brunson or call him a bad player; she just stated facts backed by history and numbers.
In fact, the Knicks needed to trade for Karl-Anthony Towns to take some heat off Brunson, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that; basketball is a team sport for a reason.
Pundits are there to share their thoughts, and Hammon has already proved to be a basketball savant. She wasn't the only one who doubted Brunson and the Knicks, so she shouldn't have to take all the heat.
Brunson deserves all the credit in the world for beating the odds again and joining one of the most exclusive clubs in NBA history.
Now, it remains to be seen who'll be the next tweener guard who can lead his team to the highest peak as their primary scorer. Chances are there won't be many more.
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