LAS VEGAS -- Aces coach Becky Hammon acknowledged twice on Tuesday that what Jalen Brunson accomplished in leading the New York Knicks to the NBA championship was historic and her "opinion was wrong," but no apology for her previous comments was forthcoming.
Hammon spoke to reporters at the Aces' shootaround earlier in the day then again before Las Vegas' game against the New York Liberty. In the pregame news conference, Hammon opened by making a point to say she was wrong that the 6-foot-2 point guard was too small to lead the Knicks to the title.
Brunson earned NBA Finals MVP honors after guiding the Knicks to the championship over the San Antonio Spurs in five games. He scored 45 points in the title-clinching contest on June 13.
Hammon made her original comments while serving as an NBA analyst for ESPN in December 2023, saying Brunson wasn't a "1A dude."
She was asked about her remarks at Tuesday's shootaround.
"Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong," Hammon said. "He proves he's 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? I'm never going to apologize for having an opinion. That's what ESPN pays me for."
It wasn't the first time in recent weeks she defended her original comments. Hammon also was asked her opinion after Brunson was named Eastern Conference finals MVP following the Knicks' sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"I think Jalen Brunson's a hell of a player, a hell of a player," Hammon said May 26. "I'm speaking historically on the NBA with what I said. I don't know why everybody's so stuck on that. I said it two years ago.
"I said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
