Josh Hart Called Out Becky Hammon by Name. He’s Still Waiting on That Apology.

Josh Hart brought receipts. And he’s not letting this one slide.

The Knicks guard took a very public victory lap during the Roommates Show at Madison Square Garden, aimed directly at Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon. Her crime? Telling anyone who would listen back in December 2023 that Jalen Brunson wasn’t good enough to be a team’s best player — and that the Knicks would never win a title with him as their 1A option.

Well. About that.

New York just finished off the San Antonio Spurs in five games to win the 2026 NBA Finals. Brunson took home Finals MVP. The franchise has its first championship since 1973. And Hart made sure none of that got lost in translation.

“I’m not naming names: I’m still waiting for somebody to say they was wrong about someone who led our team to a championship,” Hart said on the ESPN show, as the crowd loudly chanted Hammon’s name. “I know they have media availability so we’ll be waiting for that apology.”

What Hammon said back in 2023

Hammon’s original comments weren’t subtle. Speaking broadly about roster construction, she said if your best player is small, you’re not winning. Brunson checks in at 6-foot-2. At the time, it felt like a direct shot at the Knicks’ ceiling. Fast forward two and a half years and that take looks about as sturdy as a paper chair.

Hart isn’t wrong to call it out. That’s the sort of quote that lives forever when it ages this badly. And now he’s basically put Hammon on the clock to admit she missed on that one.

Whether she actually does is another story. Coaches don’t exactly love walking back strong opinions in public. But Hart seems happy to wait.

What’s next for the Knicks

Winning a title tends to buy you a lot of patience, but the Knicks have actual roster decisions to make this summer. They finished the regular season 53-29, grabbed the three-seed in the East, then went 16-3 through the playoffs — ripping off 13 straight wins at one point. That run brought the franchise its third championship and ended a drought longer than most of their fans have been alive.

The core is locked in. Brunson, Hart, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson — that group isn’t going anywhere. What they need is bench depth. The second unit struggled at times during the playoffs, and the front office will have to address that through the draft and free agency.

For now though, Hart is enjoying the moment. And keeping a mental note on who owes Brunson an apology.