Becky Hammon refuses to apologize for Jalen Brunson '1A' comment after Knicks win title: 'He's an outlier'

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks proved Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon wrong by winning the 2026 NBA championship, but the former NBA assistant said she is not apologizing for what she said two and a half years ago.

In December 2023, Hammon said the Knicks were missing a "1A dude." The team had Brunson, but Hammon, who was formerly an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, suggested in an episode of ESPN's NBA Today that the 6-foot-2 guard was too small to take the team all the way.

Fast forward to June 2026, and Brunson scored 45 points in Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs to lead the Knicks to their first title since 1973. Hammon's take didn't age well, but she still doesn't regret what she said back then and has no intention of apologizing.

"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, and I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch," she said Tuesday. 

"I mean, he was that 1A dude, but like, apologize, I'm never gonna apologize for having an opinion, that's what ESPN pays me for."

Hammon doubled down on that stance in May, saying she thought the "two best teams" were in the Western Conference, referencing the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. She also called Brunson "a hell of a player" and said she had no problem being proven wrong.

"I think the two best teams are probably in the West, but I'm up for being proven wrong," Hammon said. "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."

The Knicks most certainly heard Hammon in 2023, but Mikal Bridges was actually grateful for what she said.

"I appreciate Becky, no cap. The words she said about can't win with JB being 1A and he's too little, all that did was fuel him," Bridges said last week. "I don't care what he said. I know him. He ain't going to tell y'all. He knows what she said and it fueled him to go be great."

As for Knicks coach Mike Brown, he said his team would "live and die" with Brunson, and that trust certainly paid off. Brunson had an incredible run in the series against the Spurs and was named Finals MVP. After proving his doubters wrong, he decided that addressing them was not worth his time.

"I didn't respond to them then, I'm damn sure not going to respond to them now," he said shortly after winning the championship. 

During the parade last week, Brunson once again repeated that no response was the best response.

"There are a lot of people that have a lot of negative stuff to say,"  Brunson said. "There are people who have a lot of opinions. But when you prove them wrong, you don't have to say shit to them."