Jalen Brunson has answered just about every question thrown at him since the Knicks won the championship. One name keeps coming back up though, and his patience for it seems to be running thin.
That much was obvious in a new sit down with Sports Illustrated, where the Knicks captain was asked about Becky Hammon. His response said plenty without saying much at all.
Brunson Shuts Down The Becky Hammon Question
GettyJalen Brunson Has Blunt Response to Becky Hammon Question
When SI brought up the Las Vegas Aces coach, Brunson didn’t even let the question land. “I’m skipping this. I’m skipping her,” he said, looking away before the clip cut out.
It’s a short answer, but it fits a pattern. Brunson has mostly avoided naming Hammon directly all postseason, even while everyone around him kept the story alive on his behalf.
Hammon’s comments date back to December 2023, when she said on NBA Today that a team can’t win a title with a small lead guard as its best player. She never used Brunson’s name, but the shoe fit, and Knicks fans never let it go.
The line followed him for two full seasons, getting louder every time New York hit a wall in the playoffs. Then this spring, Brunson finally got his shot to settle it on the floor.
He dropped 45 points in Game 5 to close out the Spurs, won Finals MVP, and brought the Knicks their first championship since 1973. It was the kind of performance that’s supposed to end an argument for good.
Right after, Hammon still refused to apologize. She stood by her original comments, saying she was speaking from basketball history and not taking a personal shot at Brunson.
Hammon Eventually Admits She Was Wrong
GettyJalen Brunson Delivers Surprising Becky Hammon Response
That changed weeks later at a pregame press conference. Hammon kept her answer short and direct this time, a clear shift from how she had handled the question before.
“Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong,” she said. No long explanation followed, and she didn’t dress it up with more context like she had in the past.
Around the same time, teammate Mikal Bridges said the doubt had stayed with Brunson the entire run. “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.
At City Hall during the championship parade, Brunson came close to addressing it himself, even without saying her name out loud. “There’s a lot of people who have a lot of negative stuff to say,” he told the crowd. “There’s a lot of people who have their own opinions. But when you prove them wrong, you don’t have to say anything to them.”
“There’s a lot of people that have a lot of negative stuff to say. There’s a lot of people who have a lot of opinions. But when you prove them wrong, you really don’t have to say shit to them.”
So when SI brought her name up again months later, Brunson didn’t bother going another round with it. He’s a champion now, holding the trophy that ended the debate, and some arguments just don’t need a rebuttal anymore.
Knicks Jalen Brunson’s New Becky Hammon Comment Turns Heads