Becky Hammon Refused To Apologize For Her '1A Dude' Take, And Jalen Brunson Just Dropped 45 Points To Win A Title

Can you believe this?! The New York Knicks just snatched the 2026 NBA championship, and Jalen Brunson, that dude, went absolutely OFF, shutting down every single doubter out there. But here's the kicker: Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, who famously said the Knicks were missing a "1A dude" and that Brunson was too small to lead them all the way, is still, two and a half years later, refusing to apologize. Seriously? She's sticking to her guns even after Brunson delivered a title to New York for the first time since 1973! Wild.

The "Too Small" Take That Fueled a Championship Run

Back in December 2023, Hammon, who used to be an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, dropped her now-infamous take on ESPN's NBA Today. She straight up said the Knicks were missing that "1A dude," implying Brunson, at 6-foot-2, just couldn't carry a team to the promised land. Boy, did that comment age like milk. Fast forward to June 2026, and what did Brunson do? He went out and scored a ridiculous 45 points in Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs, clinching the NBA championship for the Knicks! He was even named Finals MVP. You know the Knicks locker room, and especially Brunson, heard those words. Mikal Bridges, no cap, even admitted the words "can't win with JB being 1A and he's too little" totally fueled him to go be great. Knicks coach Mike Brown even said they'd "live and die" with Brunson, and that trust paid off huge

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Hammon Doubles Down: "He's an Outlier"

So, you'd think after being proven so spectacularly wrong, Hammon might offer a quick "my bad," right? Nope. Not a chance. She's got no intention of apologizing for her opinion. "Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong, he proves he's an outlier," she said Tuesday. "So you can put his name next to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas, and I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch." She even conceded he *was* that "1A dude." But apologize? "I'm never gonna apologize for having an opinion, that's what ESPN pays me for." She doubled down on this back in May too, saying she thought the "two best teams" were in the Western Conference, specifically naming the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. She did call Brunson "a hell of a player" and said she was "up for being proven wrong," but still, the refusal to just own it fully is something else. She thinks she was speaking "historically on the NBA" with her comments. What a series, right? Brunson absolutely put the league on notice, proving that sometimes, being an "outlier" is exactly what you need to be a champion. It makes you wonder what kind of fire that kind of public doubt could ignite in *our* guys, whether it's Julio Rodriguez at T-Mobile Park or Jaxon Smith-Njigba at Lumen Field. You just know that kind of chatter gets into your head and makes you go harder. Respect to Brunson for not even bothering to address the doubters after the fact. He let his game do all the talking, and honestly, that's the only language that matters.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.