Richard Hamilton – SLAM Magazine Interview

It’s not so much the numbers. Even though he was averaging a career- high 21.8 points on better than 50 percent shooting through early January, what really makes Richard “Rip” Hamilton a key piston in the Pistons’ drive for a third-straight NBA Finals appearance is how he goes about compiling those figures. His relentless running and picture perfect jumper makes him Detroit’s most consistent midrange and perimeter threat.

"He's poetry in motion. He moves more without the ball then anybody in this league since Reggie Miller." – New Orleans Hornets coach Byron Scott on Pistons shooting guard Richard Hamilton


SLAM: You’re having the best season of your career statistically. What did you work on over the summer?

RIP: I do a lot of conditioning in the offseason. I don’t really take any time off. A lot of guys in the summertime say, “Oh, I can finally eat whatever I want to eat and relax.” I hire a chef in the summertime and work on my weaknesses. I focus on a lot of specific parts of my game— my handle, my midrange game, my three-point shot, and my post-up.


SLAM: People always talk about your conditioning. In the NBA, is that more important than speed?

RIP: I think conditioning is very important. If you are in great shape you separate yourself from a lot of people that might be quicker or more athletic because they will wear out. I get myself in such good condition that when it comes to the game, the game is easy for me. If you take care of your body and think of your body as an investment it will come through for you. I treat my body just like a car. If you put in great fuel and take care of it, good things are going to happen. I eat all the right foods and things like that


SLAM: Do you consider yourself fast, or is it more about just being able to keep going when everyone else is wearing down?

RIP: I consider myself fast, and I consider myself able to keep going. I’m a lot faster than a whole lot of people in the League, but that speed gets better and better as the game goes on. Sometimes guys start off fast, but then they wear down. I always think that when I’m moving fast, I’m able to maintain that same high level throughout the whole game.


SLAM: You mentioned working on your midrange game. When did you realize that could be your bread and butter?

RIP: When I was in the 11th grade I went to ABCD Camp and it seemed like everybody there could dunk and everybody there could shoot threes. I looked at everybody and I couldn’t understand why everybody there couldn’t go to the NBA. So I had to figure out a way to do something different than they were doing, and for me that became working on my medium-range game.


SLAM: How did playing in college help you develop your game?

RIP: Oh, a lot. I wouldn’t be the player I am today if I hadn’t played in college. When I went to Connecticut, Coach Calhoun showed me how to use my teammates. He showed me how to use my screens. I mean, I never knew how to use a screen until I went to Connecticut. That’s why I always tell people, if you’re a guard, you should go to Connecticut.


SLAM: I know you were a Bulls fan growing up. Were you picking up things from watching Jordan back then, too?

RIP: Yeah. I was always a student of the game, and my favorite players were Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. I never grew to be 6-9 and I never could jump as high as MJ, so I just studied the way they attacked the game, how they won at every level. I tried to take the one-two dribble pull-up from MJ.


SLAM: You have a little Reggie Miller in there, too.

RIP: Yeah, I watched him, too. I watched Reggie so much, him and Allen Iverson. I love the way Allen attacked on the break, and I always wondered how he was able to get to the basket and come off screens and use his teammates. Because, you know, he isn’t a heavy guy, either. I just loved his heart for the game. The same thing with Reggie—the way he would come off screens, the way he would get fouls, the way he was able to get his shot off regardless of who was on him. I studied those guys a lot.