Tag: Becky Hammon

Knicks fans have a new top-tier nickname for Jalen Brunson after recent criticisms about his game

Many fans, including Ben Stiller, are calling Jalen Brunson by a new nickname.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was recently the subject of debate when Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon spoke about his potential.

Hammon and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins went back and forth about whether or not Brunson was capable of playing like the best player on the best team in the league.

There is no doubt that Brunson is playing at an elite level right now and he has now scored 30 or more points in eight games so far this season. That now includes a very impressive 36-point performance on Christmas Day during a victory over the Bucks, led by two-time MVP and former NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Despite his accomplishes, though, there are concerns. As a former small guard herself, and as an experienced basketball coach, Hammon wondered if someone his size could lead his team to win a title in the NBA.

We don’t know if Hammon’s criticism of Brunson’s limitations is accurate and we won’t know until we see if he can keep this success for the Knicks in the postseason.

But some fans and teammates are latching on to one of the phrases used in the ESPN debate about whether or not Brunson could become a “1A” player. It seems that his teammates, including Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein, think he is already there.

RELATED: Becky Hammon shouldn’t have to shrink herself for the comfort of basketball fans

History says Becky Hammon’s take about Jalen Brunson’s size with a title-contending team is correct

Becky Hammon told no lies about Jalen Brunson’s limitations.

Jalen Brunson is one of the NBA’s more electric scorers. He’s a guy who can take a game over on a whim and lead the New York Knicks to a big win on any given night. But for as special as Brunson can be, there are probably limitations on how far he can actually take the Knicks in the playoffs if he’s their focal point.

On Thursday, during an NBA Today discussion on ESPN, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon shared an incisive take about Brunson’s ceiling. As the panel debated whether the slightly above-average Knicks are stuck in Purgatory, Hammon took it a step further. She proclaimed that New York lacks the true No. 1 superstar necessary to win a championship. When Kendrick Perkins pushed back and highlighted Brunson, Hammon explained that the 6-foot-2 guard is simply too short to be the fulcrum of a team that can win four consecutive best-of-seven series in a postseason.

Honestly, based on years of NBA history, Hammon isn’t wrong. At all:

At any point in the NBA’s history, almost every single championship team is built around someone with considerable size and length.

There are a few outliers, of course — namely, Steph Curry (the best shooter of all time), Isiah Thomas (arguably the finest pure point guard ever), Dwyane Wade (an arguably top-three shooting guard all time, who was also 6-foot-4), and Chauncey Billups (more a cog in a team system than an outright superstar) — but they are all exceptions. All of them.

There is also usually a stark cut-off in height for a true No. 1. We can probably use the 6-foot-6 Michael Jordan (who won six championships with the Chicago Bulls) as the bar. If your top player isn’t at least that height, you’re probably not winning it all in June. Recent history especially says as much.

Here’s the list of best players and their respective heights on the last 10 NBA champions:

  • 2014 San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi Leonard (6-foot-7)
  • 2015 Golden State Warriors, Steph Curry (6-foot-3)
  • 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James (6-foot-8)
  • 2017 Warriors, Kevin Durant (6-foot-10)
  • 2018 Warriors, Kevin Durant (6-foot-10)
  • 2019 Toronto Raptors, Kawhi Leonard (6-foot-7)
  • 2020 Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James (6-foot-8)
  • 2021 Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo (6-foot-11)
  • 2022 Warriors, Steph Curry (6-foot-3)
  • 2023 Denver Nuggets, Nikola Jokic (6-foot-11)

Again, you might counter with Curry, but he is literally the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history. At the time of this writing, Curry has made over 500 more threes than the next-best on the NBA’s all-time list.

Put another way: Curry is the outlier of outliers.

This isn’t to say that Brunson can’t win a title with the Knicks.

After all, 25-point scorers don’t just grow on trees. And history isn’t necessarily empirical. The modern NBA presents a different game and a different challenge. The league is more built than ever to allow smaller players to thrive. But when combining the current landscape of skyscraper stars with history, it’s abundantly clear that New York would be better off turning Brunson into a loyal sidekick for another alpha with more size. Jamal Murray in Denver is a perfect example of that reality in present terms.

Hammon knows what she’s talking about. Brunson is talented, but the Knicks still have a lot of work to do — maybe the hardest work in acquiring a No. 1 superstar — before they’re ready to compete for a championship.

3-time WNBA champion Chelsea Gray joins Kings broadcast team

Gray is also a current ACC Network college basketball analyst for the 2023-2024 season.

Three-time WNBA champion Chelsea Gray adds another role to her ever-expanding résumé, joining the Sacramento Kings broadcast team as a pre and postgame analyst. She joins hosts Kyle Draper and Morgan Ragan and analysts Matt Barnes and Mike Bibby on NBC Sports California for the remainder of the 2023-24 NBA season.

Gray won back-to-back WNBA championships with the Las Vegas Aces in 2022 and 2023 while also snagging a championship in 2016 with the Los Angeles Sparks. She is an Olympic gold medalist and five-time WNBA All-Star, among many other accolades.

This will not be her first foray into basketball analysis. She is a current ACC Network (ACCN) college basketball analyst for the 2023-2024 season. Gray isn’t the only Aces team member analyzing the game this season. Candace Parker works for Turner Sports as a basketball analyst and even head coach Becky Hammon is an ESPN analyst.

In addition to her analyst role, it was announced earlier this year that Gray will be a founding member of a new professional basketball league in the United States. Unrivaled was founded by New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier. The league will run from January through March and “feature 30 of the top professional women’s players on six teams, playing games of 3-on-3 and 1-on-1 at a soundstage in Miami.”

The offseason is shaping up to be quite busy for Gray, but there isn’t a true offseason in women’s basketball. So, instead, she joins numerous other players who head to their secondary or tertiary jobs when the WNBA season ends.

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Becky Hammon predicts A’ja Wilson will be ‘the GOAT of the GOATs’ in epic parade speech

What was in Becky Hammon’s tumbler?!

Becky Hammon was the best part of the Las Vegas Aces’ championship parade, and it’s not even close.

On Monday, the Aces held their parade to celebrate their stellar WNBA Finals victory over the New York Liberty. In the best way possible and to the shock of absolutely no one, it was one of the most chaotic scenes I’ve ever witnessed.

There were shirts with petty phrases on them, crazy amounts of unhinged dancing, and lots of spirits and libations. (I’m convinced whatever was in everyone’s red cups — and Hammon’s tumbler — was of the strong variety.)

With the liquid courage flowing, several members of the Aces took a moment to address the fans.  But Hammon stole the show with a legendary expletive-heavy speech as she paid tribute to A’ja Wilson.

Warning: NSFW language.

In what feels like a moment Hammon has been waiting on for quite some time, she gives Wilson her flowers.

“I’m an old [expletive] [expletive],” Hammon said boldly. “I played against all the GOATs. I’m gonna put it out there…this gon’ be the GOAT of all GOATs.”

I’m not going to lie; that’s a bar. What Wilson can do doesn’t even feel real. She is extraordinary. Points were made.

Ultimately, this is completely unserious behavior by Hammon, but when you win consecutive championships, you do what you want.

Gregg Popovich joked he almost got ejected to watch Becky Hammon’s Aces win WNBA title

Hammon coached with Popovich in San Antonio from 2014 until 2022.

Since Becky Hammon took over as head coach and general manager, the Las Vegas Aces have now won back-to-back WNBA championships.

Before accepting the gig with the Aces, though, Hammon was an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. The former WNBA star worked under Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich from 2014 until 2022.

During his postgame press conference following a San Antonio preseason game on Wednesday, the head coach joked that he considered getting tossed from the exhibition so he could watch Las Vegas play against the New York Liberty to win the title.

Here is the full quote from Popovich, the winningest coach in NBA history:

“I gotta go celebrate. Becky Hammon and the Aces! It’s like Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. It’s Becky and the Aces. Fantastic. I thought about getting booted tonight because it was exactly the same time. But I just thought this has to be my priority. But it was close. It was close. Congrats, Becky! Yeah, baby. Good stuff.”

He added that he needed to answer any questions quickly so he could go get some wine.

Popovich, who has won five titles of his own in the NBA, was clearly thrilled to see Hammon add another championship ring to her collection.

Last season, the first Hammon spent with the Aces, Popovich visited the Las Vegas locker room during the WNBA Finals. He issued a statement when she was named WNBA Coach of the Year as well.

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Investigation finds Aces promised ‘impermissible benefits’ and violated league rules

The investigation started after Dearica Hamby brought up misconduct she experienced from the Aces.

The WNBA found that the reigning champions, the Las Vegas Aces, violated league rules regarding impermissible player benefits and violated league and team respect in the workplace policies.

Head coach Becky Hammon has been suspended for two games without pay for violating respect in the workplace policies related to “comments made by Hammon to (Dearica) Hamby in connection with Hamby’s recent pregnancy.” Hamby was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in January after announcing her pregnancy during the Aces’ championship festivities.

The league has also rescinded the Aces’ 2025 first-round draft pick.

“It is critical that we uphold the values of integrity and fairness, which create a level playing field for our teams,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “The Aces failed to adhere to league rules and regulations and have been disciplined accordingly. We are also disheartened by the violation of our Respect in the Workplace policies and remain committed to ensuring that enhanced training is conducted and standards are followed across all WNBA teams.”

The investigation started after Hamby brought up misconduct she experienced from the Aces. After the Instagram post on Jan. 21 where Hamby alleges misconduct, the league and the WNBPA began an investigation into the alleged misconduct. After league interviews with 33 people and reviews of numerous written communication, the investigation found the Aces had violated team and league rules and policies.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnsXXblSRPN/

The Aces released a statement after the WNBA investigation concluded. They shared they were “deeply disappointed by the outcome of the WNBA investigation.”

The Sparks and the Aces will play each other in Los Angeles on May 26.

If Hammon serves her two-game suspension during the first two regular-season games, she would not be on the bench for the game against the Sparks. However, she would be back for the second meetup on May 28 in Las Vegas.

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The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces investigation and suspension of Becky Hammon, explained

This is not a great look for Becky Hammon.

When the Las Vegas Aces – the reigning WNBA champs who are favored to retain their title – tip-off their season on Saturday against the Seattle Storm, Becky Hammon won’t be on the bench.

The WNBA announced the conclusion of a months-long investigation into the Aces on Tuesday. The result is a two-game suspension without pay for Hammon, the team’s head coach, and the loss of a 2025 first-round draft pick.

“It is critical that we uphold the values of integrity and fairness, which create a level playing field for our teams,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. “The Aces failed to adhere to league rules and regulations and have been disciplined accordingly. We are also disheartened by the violation of our Respect in the Workplace policies and remain committed to ensuring that enhanced training is conducted and standards are followed across all WNBA teams.”

The Aces’ situation is equal parts messy and complicated, and began months ago.

Here’s what we know.

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Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon focused on WNBA season

After winning a championship in 2022, Becky Hammon is focused on the Aces and not the Raptors’ coaching vacancy.

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon is focused on the 2023 WNBA season.

The Aces won their first championship last season in her first year as head coach and unveiled a state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind facility on Thursday. However, the WNBA season starts on May 20, and Hammon said she has one focus.

When asked about the Toronto Raptors head coaching vacancy, Hammon made her intentions clear.

“I’m not commenting on Toronto,” Hammon said. “This is all about the Aces, and I won’t take one moment away from these women to talk about them boys.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CroJkldONl1/

Hammon, however, is in the running for the vacancy, as per ESPN. Despite this, Hammon is all-in on the WNBA season and is looking to defend the Aces’ title.

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Six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon inducted into basketball Hall of Fame

Hammon is a six-time WNBA All-Star, WNBA Coach of the Year and the first rookie coach to win a WNBA title when she led the Aces to their championship.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 2023 induction class on Saturday, and Becky Hammon is part of it.

Hammon is a six-time WNBA All-Star, two-time All-WNBA first-team member, the 2022 WNBA Coach of the Year and first rookie coach to win a WNBA title. She led the Las Vegas Aces to the 2022 title, the first sports professional championship for the city of Las Vegas.

Hammon made history with the San Antonio Spurs when she became the first female assistant coach officially hired by an NBA team. She coached under Gregg Popovich for eight seasons. Popovich is the NBA’s all-time winningest coach with more than 1,360 wins with the Spurs. He is also being inducted into the Hall in 2023.

Popovich has always championed Hammon and lauded her basketball knowledge. He even spoke to the Aces during their championship run.

Enshrinement weekend will start Friday, Aug. 11 at the Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort, the home of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. Coincidentally, the Sun are the team the Aces beat to secure their first WNBA championship. The festivities kick off with an awards gala, the Class of 2023 jacket and ring presentations and the annual Hall of Fame Awards.

The Class of 2023 will be enshrined in the Hall on Saturday, Aug. 12 in Springfield’s historic Symphony Hall in Massachusetts.

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