Brunson silences Hamon with a championship! Teammate Hart publicly calls out: We're all waiting for an apology

On June 21, Beijing time, Brunson's championship victory served as a definitive rebuttal to everyone who underestimated the Knicks, with the most prominent criticism coming from Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon. She previously stated that a short guard like Brunson could not serve as the cornerstone of a championship-caliber team.

Hammon said on an ESPN program at the time: "A championship team must have a clear top star, and the Knicks are missing that. He (Brunson) is too short. If your best player is undersized, that team won't win a title."

The Knicks guard let his on-court performance speak for itself. In Game 5 against the Spurs, the Knicks won 94-90, with the game held at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio—where Hammon once served as an assistant coach for seven seasons. Brunson shot 14-of-27 (51.9% from the field), 4-of-7 from three-point range (57.1%), and finished with 45 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, leading his team to eliminate the Spurs, the very team Hammon used to work for.

Throughout all the external doubt, Brunson always responded with grace and dignity, but his teammate Josh Hart was unwilling to let it go. After winning the championship, the two recorded their first podcast together, inviting Stephen A. Smith as a guest. Hart took the opportunity to subtly criticize Becky Hammon.

When Hart brought up the fact that Brunson was dismissed, the audience began chanting Hammon's name, clearly aware of whom he was referring to. Hart said: "I'm not naming names."

"I'm still waiting for the person who once dismissed our leader to admit they were wrong—he just led the team to their first championship in 53 years. I've been waiting for an apology. I know they have media sessions; we're waiting for that apology."

Addressing Hammon's viewpoint, A. Smith said: "Wrong is wrong. If you're afraid to admit a mistake in judgment, you shouldn't be in the media business. You have to say what you think at the moment." He turned to Brunson and admitted: "I never dreamed you would play at this dominant level."

Like Hammon, A. Smith had also repeatedly doubted Brunson and the Knicks. But after the Knicks won the title proving him wrong, he publicly admitted his mistake on TV. Tonight, he once again apologized to Brunson.

Since the Knicks won the championship, Hammon has yet to speak publicly. Earlier, during the Finals series against the Spurs, when faced with criticism, she only responded: "If he proves me wrong, then I'm wrong."