Richard Clay "Rip" Hamilton (born February 14, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player and current basketball analyst for CBS Sports HQ. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is best known for his nine-year time with the Detroit Pistons, where he was selected as an All-Star three times. He helped lead the Pistons to six consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals, two back-to-back appearances in the NBA Finals, their best record in team history (64–18 in 2005–06), and the 2004 NBA championship.

Hamilton was born and raised in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, a city 40 miles (64 km) west of Philadelphia. He played college basketball for three years with the UConn Huskies. In his third and final year, he was chosen as the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player after leading his team to an unexpected victory in the NCAA Championship over the favored Duke Blue Devils. He is the second-leading scorer in UConn Huskies history.

Hamilton was chosen as a first-team All-American by multiple groups. He decided to skip his senior year and enter the NBA draft. He was selected seventh overall by the Washington Wizards, where he played for three seasons. During this time, he averaged 20 points per game while playing alongside Michael Jordan. In 2002, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Jerry Stackhouse. He played with the Pistons for nine seasons and ended his career with two final seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The Pistons retired his No. 32 jersey on February 26, 2017.

College career

Hamilton played college basketball at the University of Connecticut from 1996 to 1999. In a 1998 Sweet 16 game, UConn, seeded number 2, played against Washington Huskies, seeded number 11. Hamilton made a game-winning shot as time ran out after grabbing a missed shot by Jake Voskuhl and then making his own shot. In 1999, Hamilton was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament after UConn won the national title. During the tournament, he averaged 24.2 points per game. UConn’s path to the title included a close game against Gonzaga Bulldogs, a team that was not expected to perform well. Hamilton was UConn’s top scorer in that game. In the final game, UConn defeated Duke, a team that had four players drafted in the top 14 of the 1999 NBA draft. UConn was considered an underdog, but they won the game. Hamilton scored 27 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and had 3 assists in the final game. The "One Shining Moment" video and song ended with a shot Hamilton made against Duke.

Professional career

In 1999, the Washington Wizards chose Hamilton as their 7th pick in the NBA draft. In his first game, he scored 10 points in about 16 minutes as the Wizards won 94–87 against the Atlanta Hawks. On November 12, he scored 13 points and had 8 rebounds in a 104–95 loss to the Miami Heat. During his rookie season, he played in 71 games, starting 12 times, and averaged 9 points per game while backing up veteran player Mitch Richmond. The Wizards won 29 games but did not qualify for the playoffs.

The next season, Hamilton played more as a small forward and started 42 of 78 games. He doubled his scoring average to 18.1 points per game. On November 8, 2000, he scored a career-high 30 points, along with 3 rebounds and 3 steals, in a 102–86 loss to the New Jersey Nets. The Wizards won only 19 games that season. During the off-season, Michael Jordan announced he would return to play for the Wizards, and Doug Collins was hired as the team’s coach.

With Jordan now playing as a small forward, Hamilton moved back to shooting guard and became a starter. Due to injuries, Hamilton and Jordan played in only 60 games, but their efforts helped the team improve to 37–45, which was an 18-game improvement from the previous season. Although the team did not make the playoffs, Hamilton averaged 20 points per game and finished second in the league in free throw percentage, making 89% of his free throws.

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 player Jerry Stackhouse. During the 2002 off-season, the Pistons also acquired Chauncey Billups and drafted forward Tayshaun Prince. The Pistons already had coach Rick Carlisle, who had won an award for coaching, and Ben Wallace, who had won an award for defense.

In his first game with the Pistons, Hamilton scored 22 points and had 6 rebounds in an 86–77 win over the New York Knicks. He started all 82 games for Detroit and led the team in scoring with 19.7 points per game as the Pistons won 50 games and claimed the Central Division title. In his first playoff series, Hamilton helped the Pistons come back from a 3–1 deficit against the Orlando Magic, winning the series in seven games. The Pistons then defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals and reached the Conference Finals for the first time since 1991. They faced the defending conference champion New Jersey Nets, who defeated the Pistons in four games. Hamilton led the Pistons in scoring during the playoffs, averaging 22.5 points per game with 44% shooting.

During the early part of the 2003–04 season, Hamilton broke his nose twice and was advised to wear a face mask to avoid surgery. The clear plastic mask became his trademark and was worn for the rest of his career. That season also saw the arrival of All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace, who joined Hamilton, Billups, Ben Wallace, and Prince under new head coach Larry Brown. This team became known as the "Goin' to Work" Pistons.

Hamilton led the Pistons in scoring for the second consecutive season with 17.6 points per game as the team won 54 games. He scored a career-high 44 points in a 92–88 home win against the Cavaliers. In the playoffs, the Pistons defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round and faced the New Jersey Nets again. In a seven-game series, Hamilton scored 21 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in the decisive Game 7 victory, helping the Pistons come back from a 3–2 deficit. The Pistons then defeated the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, with Hamilton scoring 33 points in Game 5. Detroit advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1990. Hamilton contributed 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in the Game 6 win over the Pacers.

In the Finals, the Pistons faced the Los Angeles Lakers, who had recently won three championships in a row. The Pistons shocked the Lakers with an 87–75 win in Game 1 in Los Angeles. The Lakers won Game 2 in overtime, but the Pistons dominated the next three games in Detroit to win the championship in five games. Hamilton led the Pistons with 21.4 points per game in the Finals and scored 31 points in Game 3.

Entering the 2004–05 season, Hamilton led the Pistons in scoring for the third consecutive season, averaging 18.7 points per game. On January 6, 2005, he did not make a single field goal but scored 14 free throws to lead the Pistons in scoring in a 101–79 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He became the only player in NBA history to lead his team in scoring in a game without making a field goal.

As the second seed in the playoffs, Detroit defeated the Philadelphia 76ers before facing the Indiana Pacers again. In a series overshadowed by a brawl earlier in the season, Hamilton scored 28 points in the decisive Game 6 victory. In the conference finals against the Miami Heat, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade, the Pistons came back from a 3–2 deficit to win the series in seven games. Hamilton scored 24 points in Game 7.

In the 2005 NBA Finals, the Pistons faced the San Antonio Spurs, who had stars like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili. The Spurs won the first two games but the Pistons won the next two. The Spurs took a 3–2 lead after winning Game 5 in Detroit. The Pistons responded with a Game 6 win on the road, with Hamilton scoring 23 points. The Spurs won Game 7 to take the series. Hamilton averaged 20 points in the 2005 playoffs.

In the 2005–06 season, Hamilton averaged a career-high 20.1 points per game and earned his first All-Star Game selection. He led the league in three-point field goal percentage (.458) as the Pistons won a franchise-record 64 games. In the playoffs, the Pistons defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, with Hamilton scoring 40 points in the series-clinching Game 5. They then faced the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James. The series went to seven games, with the Pistons winning. The Pistons then faced the Miami Heat again but lost in six games. Hamilton scored 33 points in Game 6 and averaged 20.4 points in the 2006 playoffs. After the season, Ben Wallace signed with the Chicago Bulls, changing the team’s identity.

During the

Media appearances

During the 2006–07 NBA season, Hamilton participated in the NBA Fundamentals series, which was hosted by TNT. This program allows basketball players to demonstrate specific parts of the game. Hamilton explained the topic of "moving without the ball" to show how players can avoid their opponents.

He also appeared as a contestant on an episode of the game show series Wanna Bet?

Hamilton has supported several charitable organizations, such as the Read to Achieve program, by reading books to children. As part of his ongoing efforts to help children, he appeared on an episode of Disney Channel’s Imagination Movers. During this appearance, he played basketball with the characters and helped them learn about the importance 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 at the event included Dwyane Wade, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Michael Jordan, and others.

In April 2009, Hamilton filed a lawsuit against his former personal assistant and business manager, Josh Nochimson, accusing him of taking more than $1 million without permission by using Hamilton's credit card between 2003 and 2008.

He received the nickname "Rip" from his father, who got it from his mother because the elder Hamilton had a habit of ripping his diaper off as an infant.

Awards and honors

• NBA champion in 2004
• Three-time NBA All-Star in 2006, 2007, and 2008
• Led the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage in 2006
• Number 32 jersey retired by the Detroit Pistons
• Inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2023

• NCAA champion in 1999
• Named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1999
• Recognized as a first-team All-American by multiple organizations in 1999
• Recognized as a second-team All-American by multiple organizations in 1998
• Two-time Big East Player of the Year in 1998 and 1999
• Two-time member of the Big East All-Tournament Team in 1998 and 1999
• Led the Big East in points scored during the 1998 and 1999 seasons
• Named to the Big East All-Rookie Team in 1997
• Second-leading scorer in University of Connecticut history with 2,036 points
• Number 32 jersey retired by the University of Connecticut