Richard Hamilton Retires: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Veteran shooting guard Richard Hamilton, who hasn't played in the NBA since the 2012-13 season, officially announced his retirement from the sport after 14 years.   

During an appearance on ESPN's His & Hers with Michael Smith and Jemele Hill (h/t ESPN's Ramona Shelburne on Instagram), Hamilton made his announcement:

Hamilton posted a message to his supporters on Instagram:

Hamilton's career started in Washington, where he spent three years after being drafted seventh overall in the 1999 draft, but it was after the Wizards traded him to Detroit following the 2001-02 season that things really took off. 

In nine seasons with the Pistons, Hamilton averaged 18.4 points, 3.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. He made three consecutive All-Star teams from 2006 through 2008 and was part of the 2004 Detroit team that won the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Ryan Field of Fox Sports 1 weighed in on Hamilton's legacy in the Motor City:

Hamilton spent the last two years of his career with the Chicago Bulls, appearing in 78 total games and averaging 10.5 points per game, but he never found another landing spot after being waived following the 2013 playoffs. 

He talked about wanting to make a comeback during the 2014-15 season, telling David Alarcon of Hoops Hype in July that he had received "a couple calls from teams."

Even though nothing came of those conversations and Hamilton has been out of the league for two years now, it's still a melancholy day for the 37-year-old. He fit perfectly with that Pistons team, which always did little things well but was never regarded as the best in the NBA, even when they won a championship. 

Hamilton won't go down in history as an all-time great player, but he was a very good scorer who had a long, sustained period of success. He didn't stick around so long that you eventually felt like this was a player trying to retain the old glory. 

Instead, Hamilton got to go out in a low-key way that perfectly encapsulated the way he played the game.