Becky Hammon, former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach, admitted on June 23, 2026, that Jalen Brunson proved history wrong by leading the New York Knicks to their first NBA title since 1973 but declined to apologize for calling him too small to be a championship leader in 2023 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

Hammon originally remarked in December 2023 that Brunson, standing 6-foot-2, was not a "1A dude" and suggested his size could hold him back from leading a title team [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. She doubled down on that perspective in May 2026, saying she was open to being proven wrong but stood by the historical view that small guards rarely lead teams to championships [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. At the Aces’ shootaround and pregame against the New York Liberty, Hammon said, "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... But apologize? I’m never going to apologize for having an opinion. That’s what ESPN pays me for" [1].

Brunson led the Knicks to the NBA title with a 45-point performance in Game 5 of the Finals against Hammon's former team, the Spurs, on June 13, 2026, and was named NBA Finals MVP [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Over four seasons with the Knicks, he has averaged 26 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game, earning three All-Star selections and being named NBA Clutch Player of the Year last season [5]. His playoff averages elevated further to 29.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game [5].

At the Knicks championship parade about a week ago, Brunson responded to negative opinions without naming Hammon directly: "There’s a lot of people who have a lot of negative stuff to say... But when you prove them wrong, you don’t have to say s–t to them. They don’t deserve it" [5]. Hammon also praised Brunson as "the greatest Knick ever," joking this would "piss off Knicks fans again" and reaffirmed her support dating back to his college and earlier NBA career [5].

While acknowledging Brunson’s exceptional achievement, Hammon maintained she was speaking historically on the rarity of smaller guards leading championship teams and considers Brunson an outlier [1, 3, 4]. Mikal Bridges noted Hammon's original criticism fueled Brunson's rise to greatness [2].

Hammon’s remarks came during the Las Vegas Aces’ shootaround and pregame on June 23, as the team prepared to face the New York Liberty [1, 3, 4, 5].