Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon twice on Tuesday acknowledged that Jalen Brunson's performance in leading the New York Knicks to the NBA championship was historic and that her earlier opinion was incorrect, but she offered no apology for her previous comments.
Hammon admits mistake but stands firm
Speaking to reporters at the Aces shootaround earlier in the day and then before Las Vegas' home game against the New York Liberty, Hammon opened the pregame news conference by making a point to say she was wrong that the 6ft 2in point guard was too small to lead the Knicks to the title.
Brunson was named NBA Finals MVP after guiding the Knicks to victory over the San Antonio Spurs. He scored 45 points in the title-clinching game.
Original comments from December 2023
Hammon made her original comments on ESPN in December 2023, stating that Brunson was not a “1A dude.” When asked about her remarks at the Aces shootaround, she said: “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. I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch. I mean, he was that 1A dude. But apologize? I’m never going to apologize for having an opinion. That’s what ESPN pays me for.”
Previous defense of comments
This is not the first time in recent weeks that Hammon has defended her original comments. She also gave her opinion after Brunson was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP when the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers. On May 26, Hammon stated: “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 said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.”
