Becky Hammon Calls 6-1 Jalen Brunson an Outlier After Knicks End 53-Year Title Drought
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 23
Becky Hammon Calls 6-1 Jalen Brunson an Outlier After Knicks End 53-Year Title Drought
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 23
Summary
Becky Hammon said Jalen Brunson’s championship run did not invalidate her 2023 “too small” take, arguing the 6-1 Knicks star is an outlier who “proved history wrong.”
Tuesday in Las Vegas, Hammon praised Brunson’s 2026 postseason as “brilliant” and upgraded him to a “1A dude,” but said she would not apologize because ESPN paid her for an opinion at the time.
Her original December 2023 argument was that teams led by small guards rarely win titles; Brunson answered by leading New York to its first NBA championship in 53 years and earning Finals MVP.
Hammon broadened the praise by comparing Brunson’s rarity to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas, then added another provocation for Knicks fans by calling him the greatest Knick ever.