Becky Hammon isn’t backing away from her viral comments about Jalen Brunson, even after New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson led the team to the NBA Finals.
The Las Vegas Aces head coach addressed the new attention surrounding comments she originally made in December 2023, when she questioned whether a smaller guard could be the best player on a championship team.
“If your best player is undersized, you’re not going to win,” Harmon said at the time.
Now, as Brunson leads New York to a sweep of Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals and takes home the Larry Bird Trophy as series MVP, the debate is erupting again.
Brunson averaged 25.5 points and 7.8 assists in the series, helping the Knicks reach the Finals for the first time in decades.
Still, Harmon made it clear that she stood by her overall opinion while praising Brunson’s level of play.
“I’m speaking from experience,” Harmon said Tuesday. “Allen Iverson got the MVP, but he lost in the Finals. I think the two best teams are probably in the West, but I’m prepared to be proven wrong. That’s another thing, I think Jalen Brunson is a great player, a great player. What I’m saying is talking about the history of the NBA. I don’t know why everyone is so insistent on that. I said it two years ago.”
“I said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.”
Hammon’s comments came a day after Brunson and the Knicks defeated Cleveland to win the Eastern Conference title. New York now waits to face either Oklahoma City or San Antonio in the Finals.
So when asked who she would root for in the finals, Harmon didn’t hesitate.
“Oh, you know who I’m cheering for,” Harmon said.
The Hall of Famer has deep ties to San Antonio, spending part of her WNBA career with the Silver Stars before the team moved to Las Vegas and became the Aces.
She also spent several years on Gregg Popovich’s Spurs coaching staff, eventually taking over in Las Vegas and winning three championships in four seasons.
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