Richard Hamilton (basketball)

Richard Hamilton

Hamilton preparing to shoot a free throw for the Pistons.
No. 32   Chicago Bulls
Shooting guard / Small forward
Personal information
Date of birth	February 14, 1978 (1978-02-14)
Place of birth	Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
High school	Coatesville Area HS
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College	Connecticut (1996–1999)
NBA Draft	1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall
Selected by the Washington Wizards
Pro career	1999–present
Career history
1999–2002	Washington Wizards
2002–2011	Detroit Pistons
2011–present	Chicago Bulls
Career highlights and awards
NBA Champion (2004) 3× NBA All-Star (2006–2008) NCAA Champion (1999) NCAA Final Four MOP (1999) 2× Big East Player of the Year (1998–1999) Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1999) Consensus NCAA All-American Second Team (1998)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men’s basketball Competitor for United States FIBA Americas Championship Gold 1999 San Juan Team competition

Richard "Rip" Hamilton (born February 14, 1978) is an American basketball shooting guard with the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hamilton has played for the Washington Wizards and the Detroit Pistons. A three time All-Star, Hamilton was an instrumental part of the Pistons' 2004 NBA championship, and their run of six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances.

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, Hamilton has become one of the NBA's top shooting guards, and was leading scorer on the Pistons 2004 NBA Championship team.

Hamilton began wearing the clear plastic mask that would become his trademark during the 2003–2004 season. His nose had been broken twice that season (it happened once before in 2002) and Hamilton was advised to wear the mask the rest of his career or risk significant nasal reconstructive surgery. Wearing the mask on a nightly basis, Hamilton led the Pistons in scoring as they marched to the NBA title. He has continued to wear the mask, calling it his "Superman cape."

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.

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, becoming the first opposing player since Michael Jordan to score over 50 points at Madison Square Garden.

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.

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

Hamilton was waived by the Pistons on December 12, 2011.

Hamilton cleared waivers on December 14, 2011 and quickly signed a 3-year, 15 million dollar contract with the Chicago Bulls, with the third year being a team option.

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.
• December 12, 2011: Waived by Pistons.
• December 14, 2011: Signed by Chicago Bulls.

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 also 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

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

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

On July 11, 2009, Hamilton married girlfriend T. J. Lottie in Boca Raton, Florida. Special guests included Dwyane Wade, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Michael Jordan, and many others.

NBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1999–00	Washington	71	12	19.3	.420	.364	.774	1.8	1.5	.4	.1	9.0
2000–01	Washington	78	42	32.3	.438	.274	.868	3.1	2.9	1.0	.1	18.1
2001–02	Washington	63	57	35.0	.435	.381	.890	3.4	2.7	.6	.2	20.0
2002–03	Detroit	82	82	32.2	.443	.269	.833	3.9	3.5	.8	.2	19.7
2003–04	Detroit	78	78	35.5	.455	.265	.868	3.6	4.0	1.3	.2	17.6
2004–05	Detroit	76	76	38.5	.440	.305	.858	3.9	4.9	1.0	.2	18.7
2005–06	Detroit	80	80	35.3	.491	.458	.845	3.2	3.4	.6	.2	20.1
2006–07	Detroit	75	75	36.8	.468	.341	.861	3.8	3.8	.8	.2	19.8
2007–08	Detroit	72	72	33.7	.484	.440	.833	3.3	4.2	1.0	.1	17.3
2008–09	Detroit	67	51	34.0	.447	.368	.848	3.1	4.4	.6	.1	18.3
2009–10	Detroit	46	46	33.7	.409	.297	.846	2.7	4.4	.6	.1	18.1
2010–11	Detroit	55	39	27.2	.429	.382	.849	2.3	3.1	.7	.1	14.1
Career		843	710	32.9	.450	.347	.852	3.2	3.5	.8	.1	17.7
All-Star		3	0	15.3	.458	.500	.000	2.0	1.3	.0	.0	7.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2002–03	Detroit	22	22	38.8	.442	.333	.906	3.9	2.6	.8	.1	22.5
2003–04	Detroit	24	24	40.2	.447	.385	.848	4.6	4.2	1.2	.0	21.5
2004–05	Detroit	25	25	43.2	.453	.494	.798	4.3	4.3	3.8	2.1	20.0
2005–06	Detroit	18	18	38.3	.413	.450	.851	3.9	5.7	1.9	1.3	20.4
2006–07	Detroit	16	16	39.9	.429	.400	.865	4.3	6.8	3.9	.1	19.8
2007–08	Detroit	17	17	38.6	.470	.408	.911	4.2	3.9	1.4	.5	21.6
2008–09	Detroit	4	4	38.5	.356	.200	.900	2.8	5.0	1.2	1.2	14.3
Career		125	125	40.0	.441	.337	.862	4.0	3.7	3.0	1.2	20.6

See also

• List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders

External links

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