Mikal Bridges' utilization of Instagram Live after the New York Knicks' 2026 NBA Championship is going to be discussed in the NBA's public relations courses for rookies. For years.
The two-way wing took his celebration to the universe of internet streaming, bringing fans right into his living room as he shared (and confirmed) some hilarious bits from throughout the playoff run. But when fans in the comments directed the conversation toward Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon, who infamously deemed Jalen Brunson too short to get the Knicks "unstuck" from the second tier of the Eastern Conference.
Hammon tripled down on her comments afterwards, moving the goalposts by saying that Brunson would need a championship to prove her wrong. Now that he has one, instigating fans lobbed Bridges a chance to address the poorly-aged declaration. He didn't take it. He played it cool, instead – producing "teach tape" for how to handle these situations in the future, even in the midst of a Championship-level celebration.
Bridges finds a way to credit both Hammon, Brunson for Knicks' title
As opposed to sharing negativity, the 29-year-old wing remarked that he was ultimately thankful for Hammon's willingness to definitively cast her doubts on Brunson's future.
"But I appreciate Becky, no cap. Cause the words she said, about can't win with JB being a 1A, 1B, he too little. All that did is fuel [Brunson], bro. I don't [care] what y'all say, what he say. I know him. Cause he ain't gon' tell y'all. Yeah. He know what she said. Fueled [Brunson] to go be him, go be great," Bridges told fans on Instagram Live.
The Knicks' best perimeter defender still made sure to clarify, though, that fans shouldn't take this as an opportunity to disrespect Hammon, a Hall of Famer. Bridges also made sure not to take away from Brunson's moment, adding that New York's Captain is always inherently motivated and didn't need Hammon's doubts to fuel him.
"Becky a GOAT, don't disrespect Becky bro. She said what she said. She said what she said, motivating [Brunson]. He's motivated when he wakes up. Just adding to it," Bridges said on his livestream.
Bridges took the high road, refusing to burn any pieces of infrastructure associated with his surname between Hammon and himself.
But, in all likelihood, he probably has the same kind of feelings about Hammon's comments that he does about the concerns about the draft picks the Brooklyn Nets got for his services.
Add us as a preferred source on Google