LAS VEGAS — Aces coach Becky Hammon sees no reason to apologize for her claim that 2026 NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson wasn’t a “1A” star.
In fact, she happily offered Knicks fans one more thing to get worked up about.
“Let me just piss off the Knicks fans again and say I think he’s the greatest Knick ever,” Hammon said Tuesday after the Aces shootaround. “Give them something else to talk about.”
Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon during a game against the Valkyries on June 21, 2026. NBAE via Getty ImagesBut Hammon did acknowledge that Brunson showed “he was that 1A dude” while leading the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years.
“Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong, he proves he’s an outlier,” she said. “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 caught flak throughout the NBA playoffs for her infamous 2023 comments. On an episode of ESPN’s “NBA Today,” Hammon said the 6-foot-2 Brunson was too small to be the lead star on a championship team.
“If your best player is small, you’re not winning,” Hammon said then.
Jalen Brunson carries the Larry O’Brien trophy during the Knicks’ championship parade on June 18, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostWhen the Knicks got on a roll during the playoffs, Hammon doubled down on her stance.
“I’m speaking historically on the NBA with what I said,” Hammon said in May. “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.
Celebrate with the New York Post highlighting Parade Day in NYC for the 2026 New York Knicks with a reprint of our issue from Friday, June 19.
Whether or not you were one of the millions of people who attended the parade, this framed cover from our June 19, 2026 issue is a must-have keepsake for any Knicks fan.
This high-definition replica plaque is designed to keep the energy of that championship night alive forever on your office wall, fan cave, or living room shelf.
“[If] he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong. Good for him.”
That’s exactly what Brunson ultimately did.
“I don’t really care,” Hammon said. “When I made the comment … I didn’t think it would be a thing. … Anybody that puts it, anything other than in an analytical and historical take never understood the comment anyways. And like I said, what he proved is he’s an outlier, put his name next to Stephen Curry and Isiah Thomas as a 1A dude to get a championship for their team, and New York should enjoy the s- -t out of it.”
Hammon thinks it’s “comical” that fans have clung to her comment and that it was brought up ahead of the Liberty game against the Aces.
“It’s interesting because, should I take it as a compliment that you are so moved or not moved by my comment? Or do I think it’s comical that like this comment lives on three years later?” Hammon said. “I don’t know.”
Hammon said she doesn’t personally know Brunson nor has she reached out to him after winning a championship. But she did shower him with praise for defying history.
“I’ve never seen a guy at his size, when you talk about [player] comps, like, who’s comparable to him? Who does he play like? Kind of never seen anybody like him. The guy’s 6-1 and bullies a 6-7 league on average and he bullies people on offense. I mean, so I’ve always been a Jalen Brunson fan.”
Hammon and the Aces will head to New York to play the Liberty at Barclays Center on June 30 in the Commissioner’s Cup final.
