Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon made it clear that she isn't interested in apologizing to New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson.
Back in 2023, Hammon said the Knicks were stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference because they don’t have a "dude" who can lead them in the playoffs. When Brunson's name was brought up, she argued that he was "too small" to get the job done.
“He’s too small,” Hammon said on ESPN. “If your best player is small, you’re not winning. Steph Curry is the only dude.”
Most NBA fans thought Hammon's comments came across as disrespectful to Brunson.
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Well, Brunson didn't just help the Knicks win their first title since 1973, he averaged 32.6 points per game in the NBA Finals.
Despite how well Brunson played on the biggest stage, Hammon let the Finals MVP know that an apology isn't coming.
"All he did was prove history wrong," Hammon said, via Madeline Kenney of the New York Post. "He proves he's an outlier, so you can put his name next to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas … He was that 1A dude, but ... I'm never gonna apologize for having an opinion. That's what ESPN pays me for."
Just more fuel for Brunson's fire.
Knicks forward Mikal Bridges recently admit that Brunson was motivated by Hammon's criticism.
“I appreciate Becky, no cap. The words she said about can’t win with JB being 1A and he’s too little, all that did was fuel him,” Bridges said. “I don’t care what he said. I know him. He ain’t going to tell y’all. He knows what she said and it fueled him to go be great.”
Perhaps the latest remarks from Hammon will inspire Brunson to lead the Knicks to back-to-back championships.
