In an era where every opinion is archived and every hot take is one search away from resurfacing, accountability in sports discourse feels almost inevitable. A comment made in passing can return months or even years later, reframed under a harsher spotlight. That cycle is playing out again, this time pulling Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon into the conversation as old words resurface and scrutiny builds, leaving her facing backlash for her prediction.
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For New York reporter Madeline Kenney, the backlash Hammon is receiving seems rather unfair given the broader context. “I’m sorry, but Becky getting ripped for her take without acknowledging the support Jalen Brunson has gotten from his team, in the best way possible, me, is shortsighted and wrong,” she wrote in her X page, in a now-deleted tweet.
Interestingly, Becky Hammon‘s controversial take dates back to October 2023. Appearing as a guest analyst on an episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, she argued that the 6-foot-2 Brunson was “too small” to be a true “1A” franchise player capable of leading a team to a championship. But then, she doubled down on that same take right after Brunson and the Knicks eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals to clinch their spot in the NBA Finals.
“He too small. If your best player is small, you’re not winning…Steph Curry is the only dude. 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. 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.”
Hammon added, “I said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.”
From the perspective of frustrated fans, all the backlash now directed at Hammon seems entirely warranted. Not only did the Knicks go on to win the NBA title, but Brunson was also unanimously named NBA Finals MVP, about as decisive a rebuttal as a take could receive. But Kenney isn’t alone in offering Hammon some grace.
Sports commentator Natalie Esquire echoed a similar sentiment in Hammon’s defense. “Her take was also based on that squad, which changed. That squad didn’t go anywhere. I just don’t understand why this is something NY fans care about. It was never hate. It was a basketball opinion based on lots of years of NBA history. He defied odds. He’s now another outlier,” she wrote on her X page.
Her take was also based on that squad which changed. That squad didn’t go anywhere.
— Natalie Esquire (@natfluential) June 14, 2026
I just don’t understand why this is something NY fans care about. It was never hate. It was a basketball opinion based on lots of yrs of NBA history. He defied odds. He’s now another outlier.
There is real substance behind that defense, because history largely supports Becky Hammon’s point. Elite smaller guards such as John Stockton, Allen Iverson, and Steve Nash never won a championship as their team’s clear number-one option, despite Hall of Fame careers. For years, Stephen Curry stood as the rare exception to that pattern. Now, as Esquire frames it, Jalen Brunson has joined Curry as the latest player to break that mold.
Hammon’s original take was a reasonable basketball opinion, but it did not hold up against one of the most remarkable underdog runs in recent NBA history.
Reporter Says Becky Hammon Was Wrong, But Backlash Has Gone Too Far
Like Madeline Kenney and Natalie Esquire, WNBA reporter Myles Erlich also appears to be somewhat in Coach Becky Hammon’s favour. Although he did acknowledge that her original prediction about Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks was ultimately wrong.
Reacting to all the discourse surrounding Hammon’s comments, Erlich wrote on his X page, saying, “The discourse is out of hand, but also… her initial take was that they couldn’t compete in the east with Jalen as their star. And that’s been wrong for a long time.”
For him, Hammon’s initial take was that the Knicks couldn’t compete in the East with Jalen as their star. And that was proven wrong well before the Knicks won the championship.
And that’s quite true as well. Ever since Becky Hammon made her initial “too small” comments in December 2023, the New York Knicks have consistently established themselves as an elite powerhouse at the top of the Eastern Conference with Brunson as their centerpiece. They made deep playoff runs, and they consistently competed at the top of the East. And so, essentially, for Erlich, fans are simply overreacting.
But then, winning the NBA title after 53 years of waiting? Overreactions can be justified.
