Pistons to retire Rip Hamilton's jersey
The Detroit Pistons are set to honor one of the franchises' most beloved and iconic players just after the All-Star break this season.
In a halftime ceremony during their Feb. 26 game against the Boston Celtics, the Pistons will raise Richard Hamilton's No. 32 jersey to the rafters at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the team announced Friday.
The trade that brought Hamilton to Detroit from Washington in 2002 kicked off one of the most successful runs for any franchise in any decade. Over the next six years, the Pistons won between 50 and 63 games and made the Eastern Conference finals each season. They made the NBA Finals twice, and won the whole shebang in 2004.
Hamilton played in all but 29 games during that stretch.
Though the team's well had run dry by the end of his nine-year tenure, Hamilton continued to produce, ultimately cementing himself as a top-two shooting guard in franchise history. For 631 games, he worked his darting, off-screen, catch-and-shoot, mid-range magic, in his trademark facemask, averaging 18.4 points and 3.8 assists with a .455/.354/.852 shooting line. He made three All-Star teams and finished sixth all-time in Pistons scoring.
He was arguably even better in the playoffs, where he played a franchise-record 120 games and averaged 20.6 points in 40 minutes a game.
"Detroit is where I celebrated the greatest achievements in my pro basketball career and to be recognized by the organization in this way, I'm honored," Hamilton wrote on Instagram. "I look forward to sharing this experience with all the fans who supported me throughout my years as a Piston and look forward to celebrating in The Palace one final time. Yessirrr."
Yessir.