

I know it’s veterans here and I know they’re going to look at you as a rookie and things like that, but you gotta come and hit first. Rip went to Kobe for advice on playing in the NBA, and Bryant’s words were invaluable for the young UConn product. And it was great for me, especially that early in my career, because me being around him and playing against him, it helped me for my career to always have that killer instinct.īy the time Rip Hamilton made his way to the NBA, Bryant was already an established superstar in the association. It was like, I’m trying to rip your head off, you’re going to try to rip my head off. Listen, when they threw the ball up, there was not one time that crossed my mind that that’s my buddy, I’m going to take it easy, we’re going to laugh and joke. Once the high school season rolled around again, the fun and games for Bryant and Hamilton were put on hold. RELATED: Kobe Bryant Thinks Allen Iverson Is Second To Only Michael Jordan In One Interesting Aspect Because it was like, “All right, you know what, yeah you beat me our 11th-grade year in the regular season, all right. The times we spent in the summertime traveling to different AAU games and things like that, that was the time that we pretty much trash talked among each other. And right then and there, I realized that I had my work cut out for me.Įventually, they joined forces, at least on the club circuit. First shot, he came down, he crossed over and hit a 3-pointer and I’m like, “Aww, man, this is what was talking about.” Because you notice if a guy can play on the first possession. We both jumped tip, we were both the biggest guys on the team. He’s still not as good as me.” This was before the ball was thrown up. In my mind I’m saying, “He still can’t outplay me. Then, in 11th grade, he faced a young Mamba.

Hamilton didn’t enter the NBA until three years after Bryant after playing for the UConn Huskies, but the basketball prodigies met and forged a friendship in high school.Įverywhere Hamilton played, he was the best player on the court. Many fans can recall their matchup in the 2004 NBA Finals as well as various battles in the regular season, but they probably don’t know that their relationship spans all the way back to over 20 years ago.
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Here is the full list of who you will see representing each team during the NBA Draft Lottery.Kobe Bryant was unquestionably the best shooting guard of his era, but one of his greatest competitors and rivals was Richard “Rip” Hamilton of the Detroit Pistons. if Rip Hamilton shows up to that lottery wearing the mask. They are almost twice as likely to fall to No. I know it’s extremely unlikely the Pistons win the draft lottery for two consecutive seasons. The Pistons finished with the league’s third-worst record in the NBA last season, and could fall anywhere from 1-7 depending on who lands in the top three of the draft lottery. who could punish teams for ever leaving him on the perimeter. It could be the elite shotmaking and length of Jabari Smith Jr. It could be the all-around playmaking and offensive creation of Paolo Banchero. It could be a defensive-minded big man who can also stretch the floor in Chet Holmgren. There are no consensus choices this season - even at No. Who exactly that perfect running mate is depends on who you ask. Now it’s all about repeating that lottery luck and getting him a top-tier running mate who can be the perfect complement to Cunningham. They used that pick on Cade Cunningham, and the guard hailing from Oklahoma State did not disappoint in his first season.

The recently minted Hall of Famer rewarded Detroit (if you believe in the basketball karma) with its first No.

Last year, the Pistons representative was Hamilton’s teammate Ben Wallace. The NBA Draft lottery will be held at 8 p.m. Or more specifically, the Going to Work era, as the team announced Rip Hamilton will represent Detroit at Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery. What do you do for an encore? For the Detroit Pistons it’s all about going back to work.
