It seems that there is no love lost between the Knicks’ Mikal Bridges and Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon. Mikal Bridges, in a recent Instagram livestream, reacted to some statements that Hammon had made about the Knicks guard back in December 2023. The video has since been doing rounds on the internet.
Bridges made a bold claim that all the (negative) comments targeting Brunson just fueled his passion and desire to be great. Although he mentions that he has a lot of respect for Hammon too, he did not shy away from defending his teammate.
“I appreciate Becky, no cap. The words she said about can’t win with JB being 1A and he’s too little, all that did was fuel him,” Bridges said. “I don’t care what she said. I know him. He ain’t going to tell y’all. He knows what she said and it fueled him to go be great,” he added.
The comments Bridges is referring to were made by Hammon in 2023. She was making some comments as to why the Knicks were stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference.
“He’s too small,” Hammon said. “If your best player is small, you’re not winning,” she said as per NBA Today.
The Knicks team and their fanbase are a passionate lot right now. All the comments about them performing below expectations are now being answered with passion. And that includes Becky’s comments. The Knicks fans feel that they have taken the brunt of very harsh criticism over the years about their team not being good enough. That they cannot get out of the playoffs in the East. But now, it’s their time.
Jalen Brunson has achieved the ‘demi-god’ status in New York. And why would he not? The man apparently left $113 million on the table when signing the contract extension with the New York Knicks in 2024. And has now delivered their first championship in 53 years. He was the Finals MVP. So yes, the Knicks fraternity will go all out in defending their star.
But since then, Becky has shown a lot of maturity. She has admitted that she wants to be proven wrong about the Knicks star. When given a chance to revisit her earlier comments after the Knicks made it to the NBA Finals, she mentions that she has a lot of respect for Brunson. She did, however, stop short of an apology.
“I speak from experience. Allen Iverson got MVP, and he lost in the finals. I think the two best teams are probably in the West, but I’m up for being proven wrong,” Hammon said as per the The Spun.
“That’s the other thing, I think Jalen Brunson’s a hell of a player, a hell of a player. 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,” she added.
Jalen Brunson Is Simply Enjoying the Moment
While everybody around him is busy defending him or praising him, Brunson is in no hurry to respond to his critics.
The man is enjoying his ‘zen’ moment right now. After winning the championship, he has had plenty of opportunities to respond to his critics and doubters. But till now, he has not given in to the temptation.
“I didn’t respond to them then, and I’m damn sure not going to respond to them now,” Brunson said in the press conference after Game 5 of the Finals.
And he is right. Champions don’t need to respond to each and every piece of criticism that is directed their way. Brunson and company will already be looking to defend their title next year.
Brunson has certainly backed his stature by putting up impressive numbers in the Finals, including 45 points in Game 5. He finished the post-season averaging 28.4 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. Maintaining this form next season would be his priority.
