Jalen Brunson finally proves Becky Hammon wrong by leading the Knicks to a championship

When anyone looks back at NBA history, there have been an abundance of big centers and forwards who have led their teams to a championship. Players like Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and many more were icons of the game.

Basketball is a sport where big men naturally rule. The 2026 NBA Finals were the exact argument against that notion because at 6'2", Jalen Brunson led the New York Knicks to their first championship in 53 years.

Jalen Brunson gets the last laugh over Becky Hammon

The Knicks played against the San Antonio Spurs, a team headlined by the perfect example of a superstar big man, Victor Wembanyama. It was a true David vs. Goliath matchup between Brunson and Wembanyama, but, like the famous story, it was the smaller one who won.

Back in 2023, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon was on ESPN's NBA Today. She talked about the Knicks and how they are floundering in the Eastern Conference against teams led by massive wings or centers.

MORE: Why Jalen Brunson became the 2026 NBA Finals MVP

She pointed out how they lacked a true 1A star, and she thought that size would be a factor there. Throughout NBA history, that point is valid with only a couple of outliers.

Those outliers are Stephen Curry and Isaiah Thomas, who were the best players on their teams when they won their championships. Now, it seems Brunson is included in those outliers.

Hammon herself said that she is "up to be proven wrong." Brunson has proven her wrong, and she will most likely take it with grace and admit that she was indeed wrong. However, that should not invalidate NBA history that involves big men typically being the foundation of success.

In the WNBA, that is also true as Hammon herself speaks from experience. She was a small guard who failed to lead her team to a championship. Thankfully for her, she has become an iconic head coach with the Aces, where she has won multiple titles with a star big, A'ja Wilson.

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