Becky Hammon Handles Jalen Brunson Blowback Like a Champion
Becky Hammon has every reason to stand on business. After all, Hammon has steered the Las Vegas Aces to WNBA championships in three of the last four seasons, so her success cannot be questioned.
Of course, this comes after her own playing career where she was a 6x All-Star. Not to mention, Hammon has experience on NBA sidelines, as she served as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs before taking over the helm in Las Vegas. This time on the bench in the men's game has caused her name to come up in conversations about NBA coaching job openings in the past.
But her name is coming up around the NBA for a different reason currently—due to a take she had on New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson when serving in an analyst role on ESPN in 2023.
Hammon asserted, "he too small," in arguing the Knicks didn't have a "1A dude" good enough to get them over the hump.
"If your best player is small, you're not winning," Hammon stated in outlining her philosophy.
The Knicks now find themselves in the NBA Finals with Brunson leading the way, which has led to some blowback for Hammon.
Becky Hammon Offers Blunt Response to Jalen Brunson Take
To her credit, Hammon did not shy away from responding to critics on Tuesday.
"I speak from experience. 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. I think Jalen Brunson's a hell of a player. A hell of a player. I'm speaking historically on the NBA." Hammon said.
"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," she added.
Today I asked Becky Hammon what she’d like to say to Knicks fans, consider the hatchet buried.
— Darrell Harris (@Dhoopster_) May 26, 2026
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
It was an on-brand response from Hammon. She is correct that the history of the NBA does back up her stance, hence the Iverson reference. Steph Curry (who Hammon acknowledged was an anomaly in her original comments) and Isiah Thomas offer the only evidence otherwise when it comes to smaller players being the top dogs on title teams.
But she was also big enough to admit Brunson could win the day.
It's this sort of temperament and blunt approach that has served Hammon well in guiding her WNBA championship squads. Hammon has never backed down from saying what she thinks, even if folks are preparing her indoctrination into the cold take hall of fame based on what she stated about Brunson.
Hammon is rooting for the Spurs due to her previous coaching connection, and probably now the Thunder if they win the West in order for her stance to age better. However, it's clear she will remain fairly unbothered regardless of the outcome. Her reputation can withstand being wrong once.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!
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