Becky Hammon Defends Jalen Brunson Criticism After Knicks Reach NBA Finals, 'I Said What I Said'

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon's past criticism of New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson came to light again he led his team to its first Eastern Conference title in 27 years on Monday following a conference finals sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On Tuesday, Hammon was asked about those remarks, per the Associated Press' Mark Anderson, and provided this response.

"I speak from experience," Hammon said. "Allen Iverson got MVP and he lost in the finals. I think the two best teams are probably in the West, but I'm up for being proven wrong. That's the other thing, I think Jalen Brunson's a hell of a player, a hell of a player. 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 said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong."

In Dec. 2023, Hammon claimed on ESPN's NBA Today that the 16-11 New York Knicks, then sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference, did not have a "1A dude" to take them to the upper tier of the league.

When ex-NBA big man Kendrick Perkins retorted and said the Knicks had Brunson, Hammon replied: "He's too small. If your best player is small, you're not winning." She then said Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was the exception to that rule.

Hammon took some more criticism after the Knicks won the East. Former NBA guard Isaiah Thomas, who excelled in the NBA at 5'9", had this to say.

Hammon, of course, was just stating her honest opinion on the matter. Although Brunson is proving that opinion incorrect, it didn't seem too outlandish at the time given that the Knicks weren't having the greatest start to the 2023-24 campaign.

However, Brunson has simply been phenomenal in a Knicks uniform, and he's transformed a once struggling franchise into a yearly contender. The second-team All-NBA player has also been exceptional in these playoffs, averaging a team-high 26.9 points and 6.6 assists per game in the playoffs.

New York could also very well earn its first NBA title in 53 seasons, as evidenced by a dominant 11-game winning streak that's featured the team outscore its opponents by 23.8 points per outing.

They await the winner of the Western Conference Finals, which is tied at two games apiece between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.