Becky Hammon Is Right In Refusing Apologize For Jalen Brunson Knicks Take

On June 23, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon didn't apologize for what she said about New York Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson back in 2023, despite it seemingly being proven wrong when the Knicks won the 2026 NBA Championship.

“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. I mean, he was that 1A dude, but apologize? I’m never gonna apologize for having an opinion. That’s what ESPN pays me for," Hammon said, per an article from Madeline Kenney of the New York Post.

Becky Hammon says she’s not apologizing to Jalen Brunson

“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. I mean, he was that 1A… pic.twitter.com/hLm6N3wpKa
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 23, 2026

Why Becky Hammon Deserves Kudos For Not Backing Down From Jalen Brunson Take

Hammon had said back in 2023 that she didn't believe the Knicks had a superstar-caliber talent that would allow them to compete with the league's top teams, saying that, "At the end of the day, they don't have a dude. You've got to have a dude. You've got to have a 1A dude, and they're missing that."

Obviously, Hammon was proven wrong by the Knicks winning the championship this season, as Brunson was arguably the best player in the world throughout the postseason, and New York would not have won without him. But that doesn't mean she needs to stand down from her take. And the fact that she didn't do so is actually refreshing, and speaks to why she's a great analyst.

As Hammon alluded to, ESPN hired her because she has logic-based basketball takes in the first place and is willing to articulate them on television.

No analyst has ever been perfectly accurate in their takes because they can't see the future. All they can do is give their opinion, even if it's unpopular, and produce the reasoning behind these takes.

And when some of these takes are inevitably proven wrong, they can either backtrack on them or stand behind them, thus not apologizing. Hammon is a woman of conviction, and the fact that she took the second option speaks to her being firm about her opinions and the logic behind them.

This is why she deserves credit for not apologizing for this take about Brunson, even when the entire sports community wanted and probably expected her to do so.

The women's basketball community knows that Hammon stands on business, for better or for worse. Not the entire sports community knows, as well.

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