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Richard Hamilton
Richard Hamilton
Hamilton playing for the Bulls.
No. 32
Position: Shooting Guard
League: NBA
Personal information
Full name: Richard Clay Hamilton
Born: February 14, 1978 (1978-02-14) (age 46)
Coatesville, Pennsylvania
United States
Nationality: Flag of the United States American
Physical stats
Listed height: 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight: 193 lbs (88 kg)
National Basketball Association career
Debut: 1999 for the Washington Wizards
Final game: 2013 for the Chicago Bulls
Career information
High school: Coatesville Area
(Coatesville, Pennsylvania)
College: Connecticut (1996-1999)
NBA Draft: 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th
Selected by the Washington Wizards
Playing career: 19992013 (14 years)
Career history
19992002 Washington Wizards
20022011 Detroit Pistons
20112013 Chicago Bulls
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the Flag of the United States United States
FIBA Americas Championship
Olympic Gold Medal Gold 1999 San Juan

Richard Clay "Rip" Hamilton (born February 14, 1978) is an American retired professional basketball player who played for 14 seasons in the NBA. He was a three-time NBA All-Star and won a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

Playing career[]

Hamilton played college basketball at the University of Connecticut from 1996-99. He was named the 1999 NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after UConn's run to that year's national title.

Hamilton was the 7th pick overall in the 1999 NBA Draft and played for the Washington Wizards for his first three seasons as a professional. Hamilton, Hubert Davis and Bobby Simmons were then traded to the Detroit Pistons for Jerry Stackhouse, Brian Cardinal, and Ratko Varda. Since the trade, Richard has become one of the NBA's top Shooting Guards, and helped the Pistons win the NBA Championship in 2004. Also, Hamilton was the leading scorer on the team.

Richie Hamilton

Hamilton began wearing a face mask in 2003 that became his trademark.

After fracturing his nose three times in the 2003-04 NBA season, Hamilton began wearing a protective mask. He has continued to wear the mask since it has become a symbol of strength. Hamilton says, "It's like my Superman cape."[1]

Hamilton is the only player in NBA history to lead his team in scoring in a game despite not making a single field goal. On January 6, 2005, Hamilton was 0-for-10 from the field, but hit 14-of-14 from the line to pace the Pistons in a 101-79 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.[2]

Rip Hamilton pregame

Hamilton led the Pistons in scoring for eight consecutive seasons.

On February 9, 2006, Hamilton earned his first selection to the 2006 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve guard for the Eastern Conference.

On December 27, 2006, Hamilton scored a career-high 51 points with 19-for-37 field goal shooting in a 151-145 triple-overtime Pistons loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.[3][4]

He represented the Eastern Conference for the second time at the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. On February 17, 2008, Hamilton represented the Eastern Conference]for the third consecutive season at the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. On February 6, Hamilton was selected to be a part of the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, held on February 16 during All Star Weekend in New Orleans. He was defeated, however, by defending champion Jason Kapono.

Rip Hamilton dunks

Hamilton dunks the basketball in 2008.

On May 13, 2008, Hamilton surpassed Isiah Thomas as the Pistons' all-time leading scorer in the playoffs.[5]

On November 3, 2008 Hamilton signed a three-year, $34 million contract extension with the Pistons. The first two years of the contract is guaranteed and the third is partially.

On February 7, 2009, Hamilton scored 38 points off the bench against the Milwaukee Bucks, the most by a Piston reserve in history.

On March 13, 2009, Hamilton posted a career high 16 assists in a 99-95 overtime win against the Toronto Raptors.

On February 26, 2017, the Detroit Pistons retired his No. 32 jersey.

Career transactions[]

Media appearances[]

In the 2006-07 NBA season, Hamilton appeared in the NBA Fundamentals series, hosted by TNT, where basketball players showcase certain aspects of the game. Hamilton explained the topic "movement without the ball" to shake off your defender. He was also a contestant on a recent episode of the game show series Wanna Bet?. He has also worked with many charities, including the Read to Achieve* program and reading books to children.

Personal[]

On October 31, 2007, Hamilton's girlfriend TJ Lottie gave birth to Richard Clay Hamilton II.[7]

Early in the 2003-04 season, Hamilton suffered a fractured nose. His nose was fractured again in late February and he underwent nasal reconstructive surgery. The Pistons won the NBA championship that year and Hamilton now wears the mask as a sign of good luck.[8]

In April 2009, he filed a suit against former personal assistant and business manager Josh Nochimson, claiming that Nochimson stole over $1 million dollars by unauthorized use of Hamilton's credit card from 2003 to 2008.[9]

See also[]

  • Photo Gallery - Photos featuring Richard Hamilton

External links[]

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