It is something unique about being a fan, no? You know your team keeps losing, keeps making the wrong choices, and yet, that one time that they reach the finals, your loyalty becomes worth it. And what better fans than New Yorkers who had been celebrating each win outside MSG like it’s a town party after decades of heartbreaks? Spike Lee is no different.

So, when Becky Hammon commented on the Knicks star Jalen Brunson, Lee couldn’t have it. During Game 4 in Cleveland, he finally cornered the Las Vegas Aces head coach — or so he thought. Instead, he mistook ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne for Hammon and spilled his fiery words. What’s even better is that he still doesn’t know what actually happened. Here is how Shelburne describes the whole ordeal:

“He looked at me and he goes, ‘Are you going to atone?'” Shelburne recalled. “And I said, ‘What do you mean atone?’ And then I go, ‘For what?’ And he said, ‘For what you said about Brunson.’ And I said, ‘What did I say about Brunson?’ And he goes, ‘That he has to be taller. They can’t win with a short—’ I go, ‘Oh, you think I’m Becky Hammon.'”

Shelburne was at Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Cleveland. The New York Knicks had secured their first Finals spot in 27 years, and she was waiting to get her sound bites, but ran into the emotional Knicks celebrity brigade. Then things seemingly got awkward with Lee. A week ago, Shelburne stopped by The Rich Eisen Show to tell O’Shea Jackson Jr. how that moment went.

Shelburne explained that the atmosphere in the arena was electric, with happy fans willing to talk about anything. However, when she approached the iconic filmmaker to check out his custom championship chains, Lee’s mood turned fierce.

The context of Spike Lee’s defensive energy stretches back to December 2023, when the WNBA legend Becky Hammon did an ESPN interview. In that, she boldly dismissed the Knicks’ newest rebuild cornerstone, Jalen Brunson.

“If your best player is small, you’re not winning,” Hammon firmly stated at the time, arguing that history overwhelmingly favors larger, physical anomalies like Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or LeBron James.

Shelburne didn’t correct him; instead, leaning into the moment, she enjoyed the fact that Lee mistook her. After this revelation, no one enjoyed the story more than Shelburne’s peers in the media. She even responded to one, “It was even better than if he knew who I was.”

As she said, perhaps the best part is that Lee probably went home to New York thinking he called out Becky Hammon to her face. So we need to know what he thinks when he finally realizes. Maybe we’d get a follow-up if Shelburne and Lee interact at Game 1 on June 3.

Hammon’s old comments remain a sore point for New York and Spike Lee. But she doesn’t mind adding more to those.

Spike Lee’s defense of Jalen Brunson was lost on Becky Hammon

Interestingly, Hammon’s not the only one to have argued against players of Brunson’s stature. Analysts and former players Kenny Smith and Candace Parker have both questioned the ability of small point guards to be the best player on championship-level teams. In particular, very few teams led by small guards have even made it to the Finals, with Stephen Curry and Allen Iverson being clear exceptions.

Now, Jalen Brunson has led the Knicks to winning the NBA Cup, followed by an 11-game winning streak in the postseason, the Eastern Conference Finals, and now the first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. Brunson won the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy by dismantling the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games, finishing with averages of 25.5 points and 7.8 assists per game.

Yet Hammon’s opinion didn’t change.

Speaking to the Associated Press just 24 hours after the Knicks clinched their Finals berth, Hammon doubled down on her theory using NBA history.

“I speak from experience,” Hammon said, referencing her deep ties to the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich. “Allen Iverson got MVP, and he lost in the finals. I’m speaking historically on the NBA with what I said… I said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.”

If Spike Lee were in the bubble of ‘I just told Becky Hammon,’ these comments would probably boil his blood even more. But as it were, Hammon was nowhere in Cleveland to get scolded by Spike Lee. Lee’s instant hostility toward Shelburne proves that the Knicks’ community was already holding the receipts folder to their hearts, waiting to throw it in the faces of the cynics who discounted their team.

New York currently awaits the winner of the Western Conference battle between Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Shelburne noted that while the city of New York is completely hyped, players and fans alike are painfully aware that the work hasn’t ended.