Rip Hamilton

Hamilton shooting a free throw in a 2008 game.
Detroit Pistons  – No. 32
Shooting guard / Small forward
Born	February 14, 1978 (1978-02-14) (age 31) Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	193 lb (88 kg)
League	NBA
Salary	$11,625,000
College	Connecticut
Draft	1st round, (7th pick), 1999 Washington Wizards
Pro career	1999–present
Former teams	Washington Wizards (1999–02)
Awards	3× NBA All-Star NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player 1× NBA Champion 3× All-NBA Second Team
Profile	Info Page

Richard "Rip" Hamilton (born February 14, 1978 in Coatesville, Pennsylvania) is an American National Basketball Association player for the Detroit Pistons. He is 6 ft 7 in, 193 pounds (2.01 m, 87.5 kg) and plays shooting guard and small forward. He is also currently the Pistons' team captain.

[edit] 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.

After fracturing his nose three times in the 2003–2004 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]

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.

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.

[edit] Career transactions

• June 30, 1999: Drafted 7th overall by Washington Wizards in 1999 NBA Draft.
• September 11, 2002: Traded by Washington along with Hubert Davis and Bobby Simmons to the Detroit Pistons for Jerry Stackhouse, Brian Cardinal and Ratko Varda.^[6]

[edit] 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.

[edit] Personal

On October 31, 2007, Hamilton's girlfriend T. J. Lottie gave birth to Richard Clay Hamilton II.^[7]

On July 11, 2009, Hamilton married girlfriend T. J. Lottie at the Boca Raton Resort & Hotel. Guests included Dwyane Wade, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Michael Jordan, and many others.

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. He still needs to wear the mask when he is playing so as to prevent further damage to the nose. It is assumed that if Hamilton receives anymore serious damage to his nose, he may be forced to quit playing.^[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]

[edit] NBA career statistics

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Playoffs

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Richard Hamilton Info Page at NBA.com

• Richard Hamilton Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
• Rip's Official Website
• 2006 Richard Hamilton interview