Jalen Brunson Subtly Called Out Becky Hammon During Knicks Parade Speech

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson doesn't really respond to his critics, but he's well aware of the narratives surrounding him.

Becky Hammon said in 2023 that New York wouldn't win a championship with Brunson as its best player because he's "too small." Even when the Knicks secured a spot in the NBA Finals, she refused to back down from that take.

"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. "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."

Well, Brunson proved Hammon wrong by leading the Knicks to their first title since 1973. The All-Star guard averaged 32.6 points per game in the championship series, which is why he was the no-brainer pick for Finals MVP.

During this Thursday's championship parade in New York City, Brunson addressed all the doubters who questioned his ability to lead the Knicks to the promised land.

"There are a lot of people who say a lot of things," Brunson said. "There are people who have a lot of opinions out there, negative things. But when you win, you never again have to respond to that [expletive]."

Fuel for Brunson's fire.

While on Instagram Live earlier this week, Knicks forward Mikal Bridges said Brunson was motivated by Hammon's remarks.

"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 he 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."

We can't wait to see how Brunson performs now that he's got a huge target on his back. If we had to guess, he's up for the challenge.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 2:16 PM.