Hammon Unapologetic.
Becky Hammon defends her past Jalen Brunson comments following Knicks' NBA title.
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Key Points
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Brunson scored 45 points in Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs to seal the Knicks' championship.
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Hammon said, 'apologize, I’m never gonna apologize for having an opinion,' and added that 'That’s what ESPN pays me for.'
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She reiterated that her historical assessment remains valid, insisting she’s 'speaking historically on the NBA with what I said' and that there’s 'no air to be cleared' after Brunson proved her wrong.
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Hammon also asserted Brunson as potentially the greatest Knick ever, telling listeners she believes he’s 'the greatest Knick ever.'
Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon refused to apologize Monday for her famous take that Jalen Brunson was not a true "1A" lead — even after Brunson scored 45 points in Game 5 to give the New York Knicks their first NBA title in 53 years. "Apologize? I'm never gonna apologize for having an opinion," Hammon told reporters after a team shootaround. "That's what ESPN pays me for." Fox News reported her comments drew immediate backlash from fans online.
Hammon did concede Brunson proved her wrong — but only on his own terms. She called him an "outlier" and compared him to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas as rare small guards to win a title as the clear top option. Then she went further, telling reporters: "Let me just piss off Knicks fans again and say, I think he's the greatest Knick ever." Marca noted that the comments quickly went viral.
Hammon's Original 2023 Take That Started It All
In December 2023, Hammon appeared on ESPN's NBA Today and said the Knicks lacked a "1A dude." Her exact words: "If your best player is small, you're not winning." She pointed to history to back her up. In the modern NBA, only Curry and Isiah Thomas had led title teams as the primary option while standing 6'2" or shorter.
Hammon doubled down as recently as May 2026, right before the Finals. "I'm speaking historically on the NBA with what I said," she said, according to Head Top Topics. "I stand by it. There's no air to be cleared." At that point, the Knicks were one series away from proving her wrong entirely.
Brunson Scores 45, Knicks End 53-Year Title Drought
On June 13, 2026, Brunson put up 45 points in a 94-90 Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks won the series and their first championship since 1973. Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists across the Finals, earning Finals MVP honors. His jersey became the NBA's top seller for the 2025-26 season, passing Victor Wembanyama, per Fox News.
Five days after the win, roughly 2 million people lined Manhattan streets for a ticker-tape parade. Brunson addressed the crowd with a pointed message for his doubters: "When you prove them wrong, you really don't have to say s**t to them." He didn't name Hammon. He didn't need to.
Fans Push Back Hard on Hammon's No-Apology Stance
The reaction online was swift and harsh. NBA fans ripped Hammon for refusing to own the miss, according to BND. ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins spent the post-title week "keeping receipts" on Hammon and other Brunson skeptics. Isiah Thomas — one of the two guards Hammon herself cited as rare exceptions — also pushed back. Thomas said Brunson "neutralizes bigger guys with speed, intelligence, and IQ."
The hashtag #1ADude trended for 72 hours after Game 5. Fans showed up to the parade with "1A" signs and "Receipts" banners. Josh Hart joked that Brunson and the team owed Hammon a thank-you for the bulletin board material. Hammon, for her part, said there is "no air to be cleared" and showed no signs of backing down.
Why Hammon Calls Her Take 'Historically Valid' Even Now
Hammon's argument is not that Brunson is bad. It's that he is an exception to a long-standing rule. She said Brunson "proved history wrong" — which, she argues, is exactly her point. Most small guards do not win titles as the top option. Brunson did. That makes him rare, not her wrong. She framed the whole thing as a probabilistic call, not a personal attack.
Critics say that framing ignores how the game has changed. The three-point era has given smaller, faster guards more power than ever before. Hammon, they argue, used old data to judge a new-era player. Still, she holds firm. "I said what I said," she told reporters, per Marca. Whether fans accept that logic or not, the debate — and Brunson's ring — isn't going away.
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