Becky Hammon recently shed light on the disparity within the NBA, highlighting the disadvantages of the teams depending the most on short players. Her statements raised a few eyebrows before eventually, Isiah Thomas supported the 46-year-old publicly. He pointed out himself and Stephen Curry as the exceptions on the list while backing Becky for her stance.
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The Aces coach initially made the headlines for indicating the absence of “a 1A dude” from the Jalen Bruson-led New York Knicks roster. Her viewpoint spurred controversy as she later took to X (formerly Twitter) to provide further clarification on the matter. Despite praising Brunson’s individual quality, she expressed doubts over his ability to lead the franchise to glory.
“If your best player is the smallest player on the court, you (probably) won’t win a CHAMPIONSHIP.”
Several followers of the league refused to believe her statement before an iconic figure checking all these boxes supported her standpoint. Isiah further elaborated on Hammon’s words to shed light on the inequality in the competitive sport. “Facts Becky Hammon,” the 2x champion stated before drawing the focus on the past instances over the years.
“Sadly this game historically does favor the Taller, stronger athlete and when smaller sized people have success it is more impressive in my opinion,” Thomas mentioned. Following this, the Detroit Pistons legend highlighted himself and the Golden State Warriors guard as the two mavericks in the history of the sport. The 12x All-Star stated,
“The 1A player has historically been taller players than myself or Steph we are the outliers”.
Although Steph Curry has won 4 NBA championships till now, his leadership qualities has always been a question- most recently being after the Draymond Green incident. Maybe the questions might have to do much with his size, however, that can also be not completely denied.
The accuracy behind the statement of Isiah Thomas
The 62-year-old emerged as a leading figure in the NBA with his leadership qualities in Michigan. Despite the presence of physically stronger figures around him, he became the face of the Bad Boy Pistons in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Thus, during that era of the league, Isiah’s gameplay became the centre of attention as he led his team to three NBA Finals appearances.
Stephen has been able to make the same happen in the Bay Area since the mid-2010s. His presence in San Francisco has been transformative for the city and its people as the point guard changed the game amidst the disparities. Isiah has always shown immense respect for the 4x champion for following in his footsteps. He recently showcased his admiration for Curry by posting an old image of them with the caption, “Let it be known THE OUTLIERS!“.
Yet, historically, the franchises led by players with bigger stature have tasted success in the NBA more often, with Nikola Jokic-led Denver Nuggets being the recent example. Thus, Becky and Thomas stood corrected on their stance as the visible inequality remains undeniable in this sport.
