Becky Hammon Dares Jalen Brunson to Prove Her Viral Take Wrong by Leading Knicks to NBA Title

The Aces coach made comments about Brunson’s ability to lead the Knicks to an NBA title back in Dec. 2023.

Aces head coach Becky Hammon’s comments about Knicks star Jalen Brunson from 2023 are resurfacing amid N.Y.’s NBA Finals run. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, are on an 11-game winning streak heading into the NBA Finals, where they’ll face either the Thunder or Spurs. New York is defying the odds and looking the best the team has in decades.

While plenty of celebrities and sports figures are notably backing the Knicks during the team’s playoff run this year, there's of course some doubters out there, too.

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon is one person who is under fire for being a Knicks skeptic based on comments she made about Brunson a few years ago. ESPN resurfaced comments Hammon made back in Dec. 2023 regarding the 6’2” Brunson: “If your best player is small, you're not winning.”

With the Knicks making the Finals and having a very solid chance of winning their first title since 1973, Hammon was asked on Tuesday about her resurfaced comment. She explained her two-plus-year-old statement, saying that her reasoning is based on the history of the NBA.

“I speak from experience,” Hammon said Tuesday. “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 stand by it. There’s no air to be cleared. I said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.”

Today I asked Becky Hammon what she’d like to say to Knicks fans, consider the hatchet buried.

Coach says there’s NO air to clear & she thinks Brunson is a “helluva” player. But make no mistake about who she’s pulling for this postseason.

🎥: @8NewsNow pic.twitter.com/YWEAPv8VdA

— Darrell Harris (@Dhoopster_) May 26, 2026

Hammon handled this situation with grace. She is openly excited at the possibility of Brunson proving her wrong this year by leading the Knicks to an NBA title and defying the NBA history odds.

However, Hammon does have a dog in the fight. She is a notable Spurs fan and even previously worked as an assistant under Gregg Popovich from 2014–21 before taking the role as the Aces’ head coach in 2022. Additionally, Hammon played for the San Antonio Silver Stars during her WNBA career, a team that later became the Aces.

“Oh, you know who I'm cheering for,” Hammon said on Tuesday.

If the Thunder end up eliminating the Spurs (which OKC could do on Thursday night in Game 6), then Hammon will have to re-evaluate where her alliance lands. She does think the better teams are in the West, so maybe she’ll root for the Thunder. But, it would be difficult to root for the team that just beat your favorite team. So, maybe Hammon will end up cheering for Brunson and the Knicks after all. Wouldn’t that be some serendipity?

Brunson hasn’t responded to Hammon’s comments, but he’s understandably got a lot on his plate. And, Hammon’s opinion isn’t based on disrespect of Brunson—it’s solely based on what’s happened in NBA history. Through 14 postseason games so far, Brunson is averaging 26.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists a game. He’s definitely doing everything right, and his size isn’t playing a factor in the Knicks’ success.

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