Becky Hammon refuses to apologize for Jalen Brunson criticism

As the New York Knicks made their improbable run to the NBA Finals, where they eventually beat the San Antonio Spurs to capture the franchise’s first NBA title in 53 years, Becky Hammon’s past comments on Jalen Brunson popped back up.

Those comments, which came in 2023, saw the former WNBA star and current Las Vegas Aces head coach cast doubt on the Knicks’ ability to win a title as long as Brunson was their best player.

Well, Hammon was clearly proven wrong after Brunson went on to do just that in what was a historic run for the Knicks.

For the first time since the Knicks won the title, Hammon was asked about her comment being proven wrong, but she refused to apologize.

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“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 Isaiah Thomas, and I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch,” Hammon said, according to the New York Post’s Madeline Kenney.

“I mean, he was that 1A dude, but like, apologize, I’m never gonna apologize for having an opinion, that’s what ESPN pays me for,” Hammon added.

What did Becky Hammon say about Jalen Brunson?

Here’s what Hammon said back in 2023:

“[The Knicks are] well-coached, they’re going to be on their defensive game, but at the end of the day, they don’t have a dude,” Hammon said on ESPN’s NBA Today show. “You gotta have a dude, you gotta have a 1A dude and they’re missing that at the end of the day if we’re just getting down to brass taxes.”

Hammon doubled-down on her thoughts on Brunson during the Knicks’ playoff run this year.

“I think Jalen Brunson’s a hell of a player, a hell of a player,” she said last month. “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 stand by it,” she told reporters.

Becky Hammom should apologize

As a former professional basketball player who is still involved in the business, it’s a bad look for Hammon to avoid apologizing.

She made a judgement about Brunson and the Knicks, and even though it was based on history, she was proven wrong, plain and simple.

We’ve seen countless current and former players and even media members apologize for getting it wrong on Brunson and the Knicks. Hammon isn’t above doing the same.