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.Hammon opened by addressing the criticism surrounding her previous evaluation of Brunson.Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong, Hammon said. He proves hes an outlier, so you can put his name next to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas. I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch.I mean, he was that 1A dude. But apologize? Im never going to apologize for having an opinion. Thats what ESPN pays me for.Hammon originally made headlines during an ESPN appearance in December 2023 when she questioned whether Brunson could be the top player on a championship team, saying the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 1A dude.Brunson responded in the best possible way.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 Yorks championship-clinching victory over the San Antonio Spurs.He was later named Finals MVP after guiding the Knicks to the title in five games.This was not the first time Hammon had defended her earlier comments.Following Brunson winning Eastern Conference Finals MVP after New York swept Cleveland, Hammon again stood by her original evaluation.I think Jalen Brunsons a hell of a player, a hell of a player, Hammon said on May 26. Im speaking historically on the NBA with what I said. I dont know why everybodys so stuck on that. I said it two years ago.Related Article: Darryn Peterson Confident He Can Be No. 1 Overall Pick Over AJ DybantsaI said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.Brunson ultimately did exactly that.READ MORE: Jaylen Brown Fires Back as Giannis Antetokounmpo Talks Intensify
