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By Matt Audilet
Contributing Sports Writer
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Jalen Brunson led the New York Knicks to the franchise's first title since 1973, taking down the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Brunson averaged 32.6 points per game in the championship series and secured the Knicks' title with a 45-point performance in Game 5, earning Finals MVP honors.
Brunson proved many doubters wrong with this historic performance, including Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon.
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During an appearance with ESPN back in December 2023, Hammon proclaimed that Brunson is too small to be a "1A" player that leads a team to a championship.
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In a recent interview for his cover story with Sports Illustrated, Brunson brushed off a question about Hammon's previous comments.
"I'm skipping this. Skipping her," Brunson said, scrolling past a photo of Hammon on his tablet.
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Hammon owned up to her previous take about Brunson after the Knicks claimed their championship title, but she refused to apologize.
"Jalen, all he did was prove history wrong," Hammon said. "He proves he's an outlier, so you can put his name next to Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas. I thought he played brilliantly, especially down the stretch.
"I mean, he was that 1A dude. But apologize? I'm never going to apologize for having an opinion. That's what ESPN pays me for."
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