{"id":749302,"date":"2026-06-20T18:18:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T18:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/749302\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T18:18:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T18:18:13","slug":"josh-hart-ruthlessly-called-out-victor-wembanyama-and-two-knicks-non-believers-after-nba-title-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/749302\/","title":{"rendered":"Josh Hart Ruthlessly Called Out Victor Wembanyama and Two Knicks\u2019 Non-Believers After NBA Title Win"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of the Knicks are still riding the high of winning their first championship in 53 years<\/a>\u2014except for Josh Hart, who wanted to settle some scores during a live taping of The Roommates Show podcast on Friday night.<\/p>\n

Hart, an elite rebounder and relentless hustler who\u2019s considered the backbone of the Knicks\u2019 title-clinching squad, brought his ball-chasing instincts back to Madison Square Garden where he ruthlessly clapped back at a few Knicks\u2019 non-believers, as well as one particular Spurs superstar.<\/p>\n

Hart perhaps went the most viral for calling out Victor Wembanyama over the Spurs center\u2019s deeply emotional reaction<\/a> after winning the Western Conference finals series against the Thunder.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s talking about how [the Spurs] gotta beat OKC. Like, \u2018OKC\u2019s gonna repeat, OKC\u2019s gonna repeat.\u2019 And then they beat OKC, and that was like, for a young team, a mountaintop for them. … You see that reaction because they think they gon’ win it. They think it’s over,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then you look at our reaction after we beat Cleveland, and it was tough to celebrate. We were like, \u2018We got four more.\u201d Obviously winning the Eastern Conference is an amazing accomplishment, but we all looked at that like it was just a step, this isn\u2019t the destination.\u201d<\/p>\n

“You see that reaction because they think they gon’ win it. They think it’s over.”<\/p>\n

Josh Hart spoke about the Knicks watching the Spurs celebrate after beating OKC \ud83d\udc40@Roommates__Show<\/a> special episode from MSG | 10 ET on ESPN and the ESPN App \ud83d\uddfd pic.twitter.com\/Cg8VFpem6o<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ESPN (@espn) June 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Wembanyama produced one of the most iconic images of the NBA postseason when, after the final whistle in Game 7 of the WCF, he buried his head in his hands and broke down in tears of joy<\/a>. The 22-year-old couldn\u2019t hold back his emotions on the court while celebrating one of the biggest wins of his young career, as the Spurs had just knocked out the defending champs and booked their spot to the Finals.<\/p>\n

Some were moved by Wemby\u2019s passionate display of emotion. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe emotion that that kid showed after Game 7, it almost brought tears to my eyes,\u201d\u00a0NBA analyst Charles Barkley\u00a0said<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cThe NBA is in a great place having that kid as the face of our league for the next 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others, like Hart, seemed to think it was disrespectful given that the job wasn\u2019t finished, and the Spurs still had to go through the \u201cunderdog\u201d Knicks in the Finals. New York went on to stun the Spurs by stealing the first two games on their home court and then closing out the series in five games.<\/p>\n

Josh Hart brought out the receipts for Knicks superfan Stephen A. Smith\"Stephen<\/p>\n

Stephen A. Smith publicly apologized for a few of his Knicks takes that did not age well after New York\u2019s NBA title win. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

No one was safe from Hart\u2019s spiteful post-championship spiel on The Roommates Show, not even well-known Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith.<\/p>\n

The ESPN analyst joined the live taping as a guest on the show, and it didn\u2019t take long for Hart to pull up some old receipts. <\/p>\n

A decade ago, Smith said on First Take that Villanova \u201cdoesn\u2019t have a real NBA prospect on this squad,\u201d<\/a> referring to the 2016 Wildcats team that just won the NCAA tournament with a core group of Hart, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo, among others. Then, when the Knicks were pursuing Brunson in free agency in 2022, Smith infamously blasted the franchise <\/a>for what he believed was a huge mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I mean Jalen Brunson is a nice player. I hope he gets paid. But the Knicks are acting like he\u2019s KD,\u201d Smith said. \u201c… I\u2019m tired y\u2019all. JALEN BRUNSON ISN\u2019T THE ANSWER!\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith later doubled down on his take: \u201cYou creating this cap space to get Jalen Brunson? Is he KD? Is he Kawhi Leonard? … All of this stuff you\u2019re going to because you\u2019re selling New York on Jalen Brunson?\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, Hart made sure Smith ate his words in public on Friday night. <\/p>\n

\u201cCan you sit here and admit you were wrong?\u201d Hart asked Smith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a grown-ass man. I was beyond wrong,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI\u2019m apologizing to this brother on national television, I\u2019m apologizing to you, I\u2019m apologizing to the entire Knicks organization. Let me be very, very clear: I have never been more happy to be wrong in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

.@stephenasmith<\/a> tells Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson he was wrong \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n

Watch the entire @Roommates__Show<\/a> special from MSG at 10 ET on ESPN and the ESPN App \ud83d\uddfd pic.twitter.com\/L5pXE3VIH9<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ESPN (@espn) June 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

You can watch the full segment with Smith here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Josh Hart heavily implies that Becky Hammon should apologize for her Brunson comments\"Becky<\/p>\n

Aces coach Becky Hammon infamously criticized Jalen Brunson for being too small to win a championship. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Plenty had their doubts about the 2026 Knicks squad, including Las Vegas Aces coach and former Spurs assistant Becky Hammon. The notorious Knicks skeptic made headlines back in 2023 when she claimed Jalen Brunson wasn\u2019t big enough to win a chip.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf your best player is small, you\u2019re not winning,\u201d Hammon said on NBA Today <\/a>of the 6\u20192\u2019\u2019 Brunson. She explained that she couldn\u2019t put the Knicks superstar in the \u201c1A tier\u201d<\/a> alongside the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry (Hammon said Curry was an outlier) and Joel Embiid and emphasized that the game \u201cfavors the tall.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hammon doubled down on her take<\/a> last May but admitted that Brunson could very well prove her wrong. And that\u2019s exactly what he did. <\/p>\n

In the Knicks\u2019 title-clinching Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Brunson went off for 45 points in an offensive masterclass <\/a>that solidified his place among the franchise greats.<\/p>\n

Hart, for one, thinks Hammon ought to apologize to the 2026 Finals MVP in the wake of the Knicks\u2019 championship win.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not naming names. I’m still waiting for somebody to say they was wrong about someone who led our team to a Final, a championship in 53 years,\u201d Hart said. \u201cI\u2019m still waiting for somethin\u2019. I know they have media availability, so we’ll be waiting for that apology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh: “I’m not naming names: I’m still waiting for somebody\u2013\u2013<\/p>\n

Crowd: “BECKY”<\/p>\n

Josh: “\u2026to say they was wrong about someone who led our team to a championship\u2026I know they have media availability so we’ll be waiting for that apology”@Roommates__Show<\/a> at MSG on ESPN pic.twitter.com\/zcl5IrQbNE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Hammon wasn\u2019t at all interested in walking back her comments a month ago, and she probably isn\u2019t going to now, even if Brunson did prove her wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Jalen Brunson’s 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 stand by it. There\u2019s no air to be cleared,\u201d Hammon said in May.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t seem that Brunson\u2019s waiting for an apology, either.<\/p>\n

Brunson was asked after the Knicks\u2019 title win about what he would say to critics who don\u2019t believe he\u2019s a \u201c1A guy:\u201d \u201cI didn’t respond to them then, I’m damn sure not gonna respond to them now.\u201d <\/p>\n

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