Richard Clay "Rip" Hamilton (born February 14, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player and current basketball analyst for CBS Sports HQ. Hamilton played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is best known for his nine-year stint with the Detroit Pistons, where he was a three-time All-Star. He helped lead the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, back to back NBA Finals appearances, their best record in franchise history (64–18 in 2005–06) and the 2004 NBA championship.
Born and raised in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, a city 40 miles (64 km) west of Philadelphia, Hamilton played college basketball for three years with the UConn Huskies. In his third and final year, Hamilton was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player en route to an upset NCAA Championship win over the favored Duke Blue Devils. He is the second-leading scorer in Connecticut Huskies history.
Named a consensus first-team All-American, Hamilton decided to forgo his senior year and enter the NBA draft. Drafted seventh overall by the Washington Wizards where he would spend the next three seasons, Hamilton notably averaged 20 points per game starting next to Michael Jordan. Traded to Detroit for Jerry Stackhouse in 2002, Hamilton played with the Pistons for nine seasons before ending his career with two final seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The Pistons retired his No. 32 jersey on February 26, 2017.
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College career
Hamilton played college basketball at the University of Connecticut from 1996 to 1999. In a 1998 Sweet 16 game with the 2-seeded UConn vs the 11th-seeded Washington Huskies, Hamilton hit a game-winning shot as time ran out after rebounding a missed shot by Jake Voskuhl and then his own shot attempt. He was named the 1999 NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player after UConn's run to that year's national title after averaging 24.2 points per game. Number 1 UConn's race to the top also included a close, physical defeat of the national Cinderella team no. 10 Gonzaga Bulldogs, in which Hamilton played a key role as UConn's leading scorer in the game. The UConn squad beat a Duke team in the final game after which four Duke players were drafted in the top 14 of the 1999 NBA draft. The Huskies were nine-point underdogs, but upset the Blue Devils after Hamilton contributed 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in the final game. The "One Shining Moment" video and song had one of Hamilton's shots against Duke as the last shot shown in the video.
Professional career
Hamilton was selected with the 7th pick in the 1999 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. In his first career game, Hamilton recorded 10 points in almost 16 minutes of playing time on a 94–87 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks. On November 12, Hamilton recorded 13 points and a career-high 8 rebounds on a 104–95 loss to the Miami Heat. In his rookie season, he played in 71 games with 12 starts and averaged 9 points a game backing up veteran shooting guard Mitch Richmond. The Wizards won 29 games, however, and failed to make the playoffs.
In the following year, Hamilton played more at the small forward position and started in 42 of 78 games and doubled his scoring average to 18.1 points a game. On November 8, 2000, Hamilton recorded a career-high 30 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in a 102–86 home loss to the New Jersey Nets. The Wizards did not improve, however, winning only 19 games for the season. In the off-season, Michael Jordan announced that he would return to the court for the Wizards, and Doug Collins was hired to coach the team.
With Jordan now the team's small forward, Hamilton moved back to shooting guard and assumed the starting role. Hamilton and Jordan were limited to 60 games due to injuries, but the duo helped improve the team's final record to 37–45, effectively an 18-game improvement over the previous season. Though they missed the playoffs, Hamilton averaged 20 points a game for the season while finishing second in the league in free throw percentage, shooting 89 percent from the free throw line.
Detroit Pistons (2002–2011)
In September, the Wizards traded Hamilton to the Detroit Pistons, along with Bobby Simmons and Hubert Davis, in exchange for Ratko Varda, Brian Cardinal, and All-Star scorer Jerry Stackhouse. During the 2002 off-season, the Pistons also traded for Chauncey Billups and drafted forward Tayshaun Prince. The Pistons already featured reigning Coach of the Year Rick Carlisle and Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace.
In his first career game with the Pistons, Hamilton recorded 22 points and 6 rebounds in an 86–77 win over the visiting New York Knicks.
Hamilton started all 82 games for Detroit and led the team in scoring with 19.7 points per game as the team won 50 games and the Central Division. In Hamilton's playoff series debut, he helped rally the team from a 3–1 deficit against Tracy McGrady and the Orlando Magic, to win the series in seven games. They defeated Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals and returned to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1991. They faced the defending conference-champion New Jersey Nets, who overwhelmed the Pistons with their experience and swept the series in four games. Hamilton led Detroit in scoring throughout the playoffs with 22.5 points per game on 44 percent shooting.
Through the early part of the 2003–04 season, Hamilton broke his nose twice (he also broke it in 2002) and was advised to wear a face mask to prevent needing significant nasal reconstructive surgery. The clear plastic face mask became his trademark and he would wear it for the rest of his playing career. The season also marked the arrival of All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace who teamed with Hamilton, Billups, Ben Wallace, and Prince under new head coach Larry Brown to lay the foundation of what would become known as the "Goin' to Work" Pistons.
Now wearing the mask on a nightly basis (he called the mask his "Superman cape"), Hamilton led the Pistons in scoring for the second consecutive season with 17.6 points per game as the Pistons finished the season with 54 wins. Hamilton scored a then career-high 44 points on 15-for-23 shooting from the field as the Pistons won 92–88 at home against the Cavaliers.
In the playoffs, the Pistons dominated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round before setting up a rematch with New Jersey. In a back-and-forth seven-game series against the Nets, Hamilton scored 21 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in the decisive Game 7 victory, as the Pistons came back from a 3–2 deficit. The Pistons then faced the league-leading Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, and the team's defense and efficient scoring proved too much for the favored Pacers. Hamilton scored 33 points in an 83–65 Game 5 victory in Indiana, and Detroit wrapped up the series in the following game 69–65 at home to advance to the franchise's first NBA Finals since the "Bad Boys" Pistons team won the NBA title in 1990. Hamilton contributed 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in that Game 6 win over the Pacers.
Chicago Bulls (2011–2013)
Hamilton cleared waivers on December 14, 2011, and quickly signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Chicago Bulls, with the third year being a team option. During the 2011–12 season, he averaged 11.6 points per game, 3 rebounds per game, and 2.4 assists per game in 24.9 minutes per game. Due to injuries, he only played 28 games (starting all of them). The Bulls finished 50–16, clinching the first playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the team lost All-Star Derrick Rose to a torn ACL in the first game of the playoffs and were defeated in six games by the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
In the 2012–13 season, Hamilton averaged 9.8 points per game, 2.4 assists per game, and 1.7 rebounds per game in 21.8 minutes per game. He played 50 games, starting in 45 of them. On November 26, 2012, Hamilton scored a season-high 30 points, but missed a shot as time expired that would have won the game, in a 93–92 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls finished 45–37; they ranked 5th in the Eastern Conference and 2nd in the Central Division. The team reached the second round of the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Miami Heat. The Bulls declined their option on Hamilton's contract on July 10, 2013, making him a free agent.
On February 26, 2015, Hamilton officially announced his retirement from the NBA on the ESPN program His & Hers. This was just months after he sustained a "freak" foot injury in October 2014, which ultimately convinced him to retire from the game.
On February 26, 2017, the Pistons retired Hamilton's no. 32 jersey.
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 "moving without the ball" to shake off your defender.
He was also a contestant on an episode of the game show series Wanna Bet?.
He has worked with many charities, including the Read to Achieve program and reading books to children. As part of his long-time work with children, he has appeared on an episode of Disney Channel's Imagination Movers. He helped the gang play basketball and learn a lesson of friendship.
Personal life
On October 31, 2007, Hamilton's girlfriend, former So Plush member T. J. Lottie gave birth to Richard Clay Hamilton II. On July 11, 2009, Hamilton married Lottie in Boca Raton, Florida. Special guests included Dwyane Wade, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Michael Jordan, and many others.
In April 2009, Hamilton filed a suit against former personal assistant and business manager Josh Nochimson, claiming that Nochimson stole over $1 million by unauthorized use of Hamilton's credit card from 2003 to 2008.
He inherited the nickname "Rip" from his father who received it from his mother due to the elder's habit of ripping his diaper off as an infant.
Career statistics
Awards and honors
NBA
NBA champion (2004)
3× NBA All-Star (2006, 2007, 2008)
NBA 3-point field goal percentage leader (2006)
No. 32 retired by Detroit Pistons
Inducted 2023 into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
College
NCAA champion (1999)
NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1999)
Consensus first-team All-American (1999)
Consensus second-team All-American (1998)
2× Big East Player of the Year (1998, 1999)
2× Big East All-Tournament Team (1998, 1999)
2× Big East leader in season points (1998, 1999)
Big East All-Rookie Team (1997)
Second-leading scorer in UConn history (2,036 points)
Number 32 jersey retired by the University of Connecticut