Jalen Brunson, Leon Rose Address 'Small Guard' Criticism in New Video After Becky Hammon Remarks

The New York Knicks are NBA champions, which means they now have bragging rights over all those who doubted them.

With that as the backdrop, Jalen Brunson and team president Leon Rose addressed some of the criticism the Knicks faced for building the team around a small lead guard during an appearance on The Roommates Show podcast (24:50 mark).

"I don't really care what people think about most things," Brunson said. "… Someone's always going to have something to say, positive or negative, and being able to block that out made it 10 times easier. But I knew that as long as I was doing what I'm supposed to be doing, trying to be a good leader, lead by example, working as hard as I can and trying to be the best player I can be, doing the things I can control. Say this never happens, I know I still put everything I can into this game and did everything to try to help my team win. And I can sleep good at night knowing I did that."

As for Rose, he said Brunson didn't owe him anything for the trust that came with his contract.

"I did it because I fully believed in him and thought he was that good," Rose said. "He had put in the work and he had proven himself. Maybe the rest of the world hadn't caught up yet. … One of the greatest things about this right here [Larry O'Brien Trophy] is you can win with a small guard. How many times have we heard that over all these years?"

The comments are all the more notable considering old comments from Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon resurfaced and became a major storyline during the Knicks' victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

In 2023, she suggested Brunson wasn't a "1A star" who could lead a team to the title because of his size. She also clarified she loves Brunson's game but believes "if your best player is the smallest player on the court, you (probably) won't win a championship."

Brunson proved her and many others wrong when he poured in 45 points in the Finals-clinching Game 5 and did win that championship as the Knicks' best player.

"I was wrong. I was wrong," Hammon told reporters Tuesday. "My opinion was wrong."

Those comments came after she called Brunson an "outlier" who went on to "prove history wrong."

While much of NBA history has been dominated by bigger players, there are some of those special outliers such as Stephen Curry who are so talented they can overcome a smaller frame and win the championship.

Brunson has now joined that list despite the criticism the Knicks faced for building around him before they won the title.