LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon is sticking to her long-held belief that a team cannot win an NBA championship with a small guard as its top player, even as 6-foot-2 Jalen Brunson has taken the New York Knicks to the NBA Finals.
Speaking Tuesday, May 26, Hammon reiterated comments she first made on ESPN in December 2023. “If your best player is small, you’re not winning,” she said at the time. On Tuesday she added, “I said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.”
Brunson collected the Larry Bird Trophy as Eastern Conference finals MVP on Monday night after the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers. The point guard averaged 25.5 points and 7.8 assists in the four-game series.
New York will meet either the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals.
Hammon cited NBA history to support her position, noting that 6-foot Allen Iverson won league MVP in 2001 but fell short in the Finals. “I speak from experience,” she said. “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.”
The Hall of Famer has guided the Aces to three of the past four WNBA titles. She previously played for the San Antonio Silver Stars—now the Aces—and later served as an assistant coach for Gregg Popovich’s Spurs, giving her a clear rooting interest. “Oh, you know who I’m cheering for,” she said.
Source: ESPN
