Bridges credits Hammon's doubt as motivation.
Mikal Bridges was clearly still riding the high when he jumped on Instagram Live this past Monday, and the newly crowned NBA champion had plenty to say.
Fresh off the New York Knicks' title-clinching Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs, the 29-year-old forward shouted out one of Jalen Brunson's most well-known doubters.
Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon went on ESPN's NBA Today in December 2023 and said the Knicks were missing a "1A dude."
Kendrick Perkins pushed back and pointed to Brunson, but Hammon was not having it.
"He too small," Hammon said. "If your best player is small, you're not winning."
Those words stuck with Brunson for over two years, and Bridges says they ended up doing more good than harm.
"I appreciate Becky, no cap," Bridges said during the live stream. "The words she said about can't win with JB being 1A and he's too little, all that did was fuel him. He know what she said and it fueled him to go be great."
Brunson Answered
The 6-foot-2 guard did not just prove Hammon wrong, he proved that smaller guards can absolutely lead a team to a title.
Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds throughout the NBA Finals as the Knicks beat the Spurs in five games, ending a 53-year championship drought.
He poured in 45 in the clincher and took home the unanimous Finals MVP award.
Even last month, after the Knicks swept Cleveland to reach the Finals, Hammon would not fully back off her stance.
"I think Jalen Brunson's a hell of a player, a hell of a player," Hammon said. "I'm speaking historically on the NBA with what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong."
He proved her wrong in the biggest way possible.
Brunson put up 26.0 points and 6.8 assists per game during the regular season as New York finished 53-29, then raised his play to 28.4 points a night across a postseason where the Knicks went 16-3 with three consecutive sweeps after the opening round.
Bridges Played His Part
While Brunson was the heartbeat of the entire run, Bridges was one of the steadiest pieces around him.
The former Villanova standout averaged 14.4 points and 3.7 assists while playing all 82 regular season games, then extended his iron-man streak by starting every contest of the postseason.
His defense and floor-spacing gave Brunson room to work, and the two Villanova products finally celebrated a championship together at the NBA level.
As for Brunson himself, the Finals MVP was not interested in taking a victory lap over the people who doubted him.
"I didn't respond to them then," Brunson said. "I'm damn sure not going to respond to them now."
The Larry O'Brien trophy did the responding for him.
