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New York Knicks Josh Hart rides atop an open-top bus during a championship ticker-tape parade celebrating the team's NBA Finals victory in New York City on June 18, 2026. (Photo by DAVID DEE DELGADO / AFP via Getty Images)
Josh Hart did not mention Becky Hammon by name.
The New York crowd did it for him.
During an appearance at Madison Square Garden alongside Jalen Brunson on The Roommates Show, Hart appeared to reference a prominent critic who doubted whether an undersized guard could lead a team to an NBA championship.
“I’m not naming names,” Hart began.
Before he could continue, the crowd shouted in unison: “Becky!”
Hart smiled and proceeded.
“…to say they was wrong about someone who led our team to a championship,” Hart said. “I know they have media availability, so we’ll be waiting for that apology.”
The exchange immediately reignited discussion surrounding comments Hammon made about Brunson and the New York Knicks more than a year ago.
In 2024, Hammon, the Las Vegas Aces coach and former NBA assistant, discussed the historical challenges facing teams built around smaller lead guards.
“If your best player is small, you’re not winning,” Hammon said during an ESPN appearance.
Hammon later clarified that her comments were not intended as a personal criticism of Brunson.
“I think Jalen Brunson’s a hell of a player,” Hammon said in May. “I’m speaking historically on the NBA with what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.”
Two years later, Brunson did exactly that.
The Knicks captured their first NBA championship since 1973, and Brunson emerged as the unquestioned face of one of the most remarkable title runs in franchise history.
Brunson’s postseason left little room for skepticism.
The All-NBA guard averaged 25.5 points and 7.8 assists in the Eastern Conference finals as the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers to reach the NBA Finals.
He elevated his game even further against the San Antonio Spurs.
Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds in the Finals, leading New York to a five-game series victory and becoming the first unanimous NBA Finals MVP in franchise history.
His signature performance came in the title-clinching Game 5 in San Antonio.
With the championship within reach, Brunson exploded for 45 points in a 94-90 victory.
The performance tied Michael Jordan’s 45-point masterpiece against the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals for the most points ever scored on the road in a Finals-clinching game.
The accomplishment transformed Brunson from All-Star guard into a Knicks icon.
Hart’s comments underscored the fierce loyalty that has defined the Knicks’ championship core.
Since Brunson arrived in New York in 2022, Hart has been among his closest teammates and strongest public supporters.
That bond was evident again as New York celebrated a championship that generations of fans thought they might never witness.
Whether Hart was specifically referring to Hammon was left unsaid.
He never mentioned her name.
The crowd, however, immediately connected the dots.
And in the aftermath of one of the greatest seasons in franchise history, the moment served as another reminder of how completely Brunson has rewritten the narrative surrounding smaller guards in the NBA.
The criticisms that once followed him have largely been replaced by something else entirely.
A championship parade through Manhattan.
A Finals MVP trophy.
And, according to Hart, perhaps an apology still owed to the man who led the Knicks back to the top of basketball’s mountain.
Alder Almo is a veteran NBA reporter for Heavy.com, covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. He brings over 20 years of experience across local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Originally from the Philippines, he is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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