Draymond Green is standing with Becky Hammon and challenging Jalen Brunson to “prove me wrong” during the NBA Finals.
The Warriors star and opinionated basketball observer was revisiting some old Knicks takes on the latest episode of his eponymous podcast now that they Knicks have reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Among those opinions was one about the Knicks’ lack of a “1A” player and how that makes it harder to win a championship.
Green’s mind hasn’t changed one bit since he first voiced that opinion, he said during the segment.
“And I double down on this. Just like Becky Hammon said, prove me wrong,” he said. “Prove me wrong, double down, absolutely double down. Getting out of the East has never been a surefire way at a championship.
“What are ya’ll talking about? You get out of the East cause you’re supposed to get out of the East. It’s the f–king East, of course, you’re supposed to get out of the East. That just don’t mean you win a championship because you get out of the East. It’s the f–king East.”
Green ended the thought by saying that he was “happy for Mike Brown.”
Draymond Green doubles down that the Knicks need a true 1A player to win a championship:
“Just like Becky Hammon said, prove me wrong. Absolutely double down. Getting out of the East has never been a sure fire thing to winning a championship. What y’all talking about? You’re… pic.twitter.com/celImEmvl3
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) May 31, 2026
The Western Conference player was referencing comments made by Hammon — the former Spurs assistant coach and current Las Vegas Aces coach — who had said in 2023, during an appearance on “NBA Today” on ESPN, that the Knicks were a “pretty good team” but lacked a “1A” dude and that Jalen Brunson was “too small.”
Brunson has helped lead the Knicks back to the NBA Finals this season, but Hammon seemed to be unwavering from that opinion when it was recently brought up.
“I speak from experience,” Hammon said earlier this month. “Allen Iverson got MVP, and he lost in the finals. I think the two best teams are probably in the West, but I’m up for being proven wrong. That’s the other thing, I think Jalen Brunson’s a hell of a player, a hell of a player. I’m speaking historically on the NBA with what I said. I don’t know why everybody’s so stuck on that. I said it two years ago.
“I said what I said. If he proves me wrong, he proves me wrong.”
Game 1 of the NBA Finals begins on Wednesday between the Knicks and Spurs, and Brunson’s first chance to prove Green and Hammon both wrong.
