Becky Hammon is not apologizing.
She is acknowledging Jalen Brunson’s basketball brilliance in leading the New York Knicks to the NBA championship.
The Las Vegas Aces coach who moonlights as an NBA analyst for ESPN previously said during a segment for the network that the Knicks didn’t have “a 1A dude” to compete for an title and that Jalen Brunson was “too small” to fill that role.
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Brunson, of course, proved that take wrong. The 6-2 guard scored 45 points in Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs to secure New York’s title in one of the great closeout performances in NBA Finals history.
Hammon issued her take on Brunson in 2023. But it’s been resurfaced a bunch since the Knicks won the championship on June 13.
Hammon addressed those comments on Tuesday. She did so while speaking with New York media ahead of the Aces’ game against Liberty.
Hammon: ‘I’m never gonna apologize’
“I mean, he was that 1A dude, but like, apologize, I’m never gonna apologize for having an opinion,’ Hammon said of Brunson, per Madeline Kenney of the New York Post. “That’s what ESPN pays me for.”
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Hammon called Brunson’s performance an “outlier” and said that he played “brilliantly” during New York’s run to the championship.
“Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong,” Hammon said. “He proves he’s an outlier, so you can put his name next to Steph Curry and Isaiah Thomas, and I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch.
Becky Hammon declined to apologize for her previous take that Jalen Brunson couldn’t lead a championship team. Why should she?
(Ali Gradischer via Getty Images)
Hammon’s previous take on Brunson
In case you missed it, here’s what Hammon initially said way back in 2023.
“At the end of the day, they don’t have a dude,” Hammon said of the Knicks on “NBA Today.” “You’ve gotta have a dude. You’ve got to have a 1A dude. And they’re missing that.”
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When Kenrdick Perkins countered that Brunson was that dude, Hammon responded thusly:
“He too small,” Hammon continued. “I’ve got a philosophy. … If your best player is small, you’re not winning. John Stockton, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, you can go down the list.”
Hammon had nothing to apologize for
Hammon’s response Tuesday when facing New York media Tuesday was perfect. She acknowldged Brunson’s brilliance. She didn’t back down. She didn’t apologize.
She didn’t need to. Hammon has nothing to apologize for.
She didn’t demean Brunson. She didn’t take a personal swipe at him. She simply offered her opinion on his viability as a No. 1 guy on a championship team in a conversation about basketball. Because, as she noted, that’s her job.
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Her opinon was proven wrong. And that’s OK. That’s part of the business and happens to everyone who talks about sports. If people are too afraid of being wrong in sports media, then no opinions would be offered to begin with.
And being wrong in this instance doesn’t warrant an apology.
