Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon on Tuesday acknowledged that Jalen Brunson proved her wrong by leading the New York Knicks to an NBA championship, but she refused to apologize for her earlier comments questioning his ability.
Hammon admits Brunson's historic achievement
Speaking to reporters before the Aces' home game against the New York Liberty, Hammon opened her pregame news conference by stating that her opinion was wrong about the 6ft 2in point guard being too small to lead the Knicks to a title. Brunson was named NBA Finals MVP after scoring 45 points in the title-clinching game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Hammon originally made her comments on ESPN in December 2023, saying Brunson was not a “1A dude.” When asked about those remarks during the Aces shootaround, she 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. I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch. I mean, he was that 1A dude. But apologize? I’m never going to apologize for having an opinion. That’s what ESPN pays me for.”
Previous defense of comments
This is not the first time Hammon has defended her original comments. After Brunson was named Eastern Conference final MVP when the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hammon said on May 26: “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.”
