Richard Hamilton

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 mi west of Philadelphia, Hamilton played three years for the University of Connecticut.

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.

The Pistons retired his No. 32 jersey on February 26, 2017.