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Becky Hammon is finally acknowledging that Jalen Brunson proved her wrong. After Brunson led the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship in more than five decades and claimed NBA Finals MVP honors, the Las Vegas Aces head coach revisited the comments she made about the star guard nearly two years ago.<\/p>\n
Hammon opened by addressing the criticism surrounding her previous evaluation of Brunson.<\/p>\n
\u201cJalen, all he did was prove history wrong,\u201d Hammon said<\/a>. \u201cHe proves he\u2019s an outlier, so you can put his name next to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas. I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, he was that 1A dude. But apologize? I\u2019m never going to apologize for having an opinion. That\u2019s what ESPN pays me for.\u201d<\/p>\n Hammon originally made headlines during an ESPN appearance in December 2023 when she questioned whether Brunson could be the top player on a championship team, saying the six-foot-two guard was not a \u201c1A dude.\u201d<\/p>\n Brunson responded in the best possible way.<\/p>\n The Knicks star put together one of the most memorable postseason runs in franchise history, finishing the NBA Finals by scoring 45 points in New York\u2019s championship-clinching victory over the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n He was later named Finals MVP after guiding the Knicks to the title in five games.<\/p>\n This was not the first time Hammon had defended her earlier comments.<\/p>\n Following Brunson winning Eastern Conference Finals MVP after New York swept Cleveland, Hammon again stood by her original evaluation.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think Jalen Brunson\u2019s a hell of a player, a hell of a player,\u201d Hammon said on May 26. \u201cI\u2019m speaking historically on the NBA with what I said. I don\u2019t know why everybody\u2019s so stuck on that. I said it two years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cI said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Brunson ultimately did exactly that.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Jaylen Brown Fires Back as Giannis Antetokounmpo Talks Intensify<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n