Happy Birthday Rip Hamilton

Uconn legend and former NBA All Star Richard Hamilton turns 43 today.

The 7th overall pick in the 1999 draft, Richard Hamilton, turns 43 years old today. He was a phenomenal and influential player for the Huskies and was a huge piece of the Pistons 2004 Championship. He was named an NBA All Star in 2006-2008 and had his number 32 retired by the Detroit Pistons.

One of Rip’s biggest moments came in the 1998 NCAA tournament when the Huskies were playing Washington in the sweet sixteen. After grabbing a teammates miss and his own miss he hit a shot as time expired to advance the Huskies to the elite eight. The following season would be his best in a Uconn uniform.

He would be the leader for Uconn in 1999 as they faced off against the dominant Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA Championship. Duke was a 9 point favorite going into the contest and because of Hamiltons 27 points and 7 rebounds, Uconn would beat a team that had 4 players drafted in the top 10 a few months later.

In his career in Storrs, CT he would win 1 championship, be named a 2 time Big East Player of the Year, the 1999 Tournament MVP, and would be 2 time First Team Big East. He will forever be remembered as a Husky great.

He was drafted 7th overall in ‘99 by the Wizards before being traded in 2002 to Detroit where he really planted his roots. He was a key contributor in the Pistons Championship win over a great Lakers squad led by Kobe Bryant. In 2011, he signed a 3 year, 15 million dollar deal with the Bulls before retiring in 2013. He averaged 17.1 points per game through is career.

While he had a long and efficient NBA career, I will always think of Rip as a Husky that beat an elite Duke team.