Knicks' Jalen Brunson Reacts to Becky Hammon's Criticism After Finals Win
New York Knicks guard and 2026 NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson has nothing to say to Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon after she insisted he is too small to lead a team to a championship.
"I didn't respond to them then and I'm damn sure not going to respond to them now," Brunson, 29, said in a press conference after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs to win their first NBA championship since 1973.
Hammon, 49, was first asked about Brunson during a 2023 appearance on ESPN's NBA Today.
"At the end of the day, they don't have a dude," Hammon said at the time. "You got to have a dude. You got to have a 1A dude, and they're missing that, at the end of the day, if we're just getting down to brass tacks."
She added of Brunson, "He [is] too small. If your best player is small, you're not winning."
Since then, the 6-foot-2 Brunson has been named to three NBA All-Star teams and ran the point for arguably the greatest Knicks team in more than 50 years. Hammon was asked about her comments in May during the Knicks' playoff run, and she doubled down.
"I speak from experience," said Hammon, a six-time WNBA All-Star herself. "Allen Iverson got MVP, and he lost in the finals. I think the two best teams are probably in the West, but I'm up for being proven wrong."
Hammon also called Brunson a "hell of a player" and explained that she was "speaking historically" when she alleged that he was too small to lead the Knicks to a title.
"I don't know why everybody's so stuck on that," she added. "I said it two years ago. I stand by it."
Hammon was far from the only one who doubted Brunson's ability to lead New York to a championship. Knicks legend Walt "Clyde" Frazier admitted that he was also skeptical when the Knicks signed Brunson in 2022.
"When we first acquired him, I would've been happy with 20 points and six assists, because they talk about his height and having no speed," Frazier, 81, told The Athletic during the Knicks' championship celebration. "I thought in a playoff situation, opponents would put taller guys on Jalen and he would have trouble."
He continued, "But he found a way. In every series, he found a way. The Spurs have excellent defenders on the perimeter, and they were frustrated and devastated by Brunson. It's a testament to his sagacity. His game is right between the ears."
Jalen's father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, called his son's rise to stardom "crazy," but he also called out the doubters.
"What are they going to say now?" he asked.
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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 10:55 AM.