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.

Hamilton hails from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and 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 a lottery pick in that year's NBA draft and played for the Washington Wizards for his first three seasons as a professional. Hamilton was then traded to the Detroit Pistons for Jerry Stackhouse. Since the trade, Richard has become one of the NBA's top shooting guards, and helped the Pistons win the NBA Championship in 2004.

After fracturing his nose twice in the 2003-04 season, Hamilton began wearing his now-trademark protective mask to preserve his ability to participate in the 2004 NBA Playoffs. He has continued to wear the mask in the wake of three reconstructive surgeries which are said to have left him without nose cartilage and vulnerable to a career-ending injury. He also told ESPN reporters that he wears the mask for good luck.

Hamilton, one of the NBA's best players without the ball, can wear down opponents with constant movement. He frequently curls off screens and picks and is one of the deadliest catch-and-shoot players in the league; Hamilton is often referred to as a young Reggie Miller.[citation needed] He is highly regarded by NBA analysts as one of the best mid-range shooters in the game.

On February 9, 2006, Hamilton earned his first selection to the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston as a reserve guard for the Eastern Conference.

On December 27, 2006, Hamilton scored a career-high 51 points with a personal best 19 of 37 field goal shooting in a 151-145 triple-overtime Pistons loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.[1]

On January 9, 2007, Hamilton surpassed 10,000 career points with 22 points in a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. That was against his home town team.

He represented the East for the second time at the 2007 NBA All-Star Game..

* Hamilton got his nickname Rip from his dad who got the same nickname as a child because he ripped his diapers.
* In the 1990s, Hamilton regularly spoke at his former elementary school, encouraging the students to stay away from drugs and gangs.
* On February 05, 2007 his number "32" was retired at Gample Pavilion on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs, Ct during halftime of the men's basketball game against the Syracuse Orangemen as part of the "Huskies of Honor" ceremony which recognized personal accomplishments of 13 former players and 3 coaches.[2]
* Rip has his own clothing line and own organization called Rip City.
* "Yessir!" has become a popular catchphrase of Hamilton's. This originated after he repeatedly exclaimed it at the Pistons' 2004 championship rally. After scoring, "Yessir!" is often played through the speakers at home games. [3]
* Hamilton is known for wearing a protective face mask while on the basketball court. He wears it regularly after injuring his nose numerous times.
* Hamilton had been known for his trademark braids; He recently cut his hair before the 2006-07 season.
* Rip once agreed to wear his hair in a style which looked like Goodyear Tires for about a week. For this, Goodyear gave him an undisclosed amount of money and a free set of tires.[4]
* Hamilton also has recorded a 4:16 mile run.



Source : Wikipedia