"Survival of the fittest": Rip Hamilton on Dwyane Wade calling him one of the toughest guys to guard (Exclusive)

The 2000s Detroit Pistons, better known for their defense, also had promising offensive firepower. In a recent podcast interview, NBA legend Dwyane Wade listed fellow teammates Rip Hamilton and Ray Allen as two players he believed were the hardest to defend.

Sportskeeda correspondents from the Philippines contacted Hamilton on Wednesday to gather his response regarding Wade's statement. He said,

"For him to say that is amazing because you want to be respected as a player."

Hamilton is the special guest for this year's edition of the NBA 3x, a 3x3 tournament organized by NBA Philippines in Pasay City. It is in line with the anticipation for the NBA In-Season Tournament Final.

Now that both Hamilton and Wade have retired, they have been talking to each other frequently. However, Hamilton recalled that they only had some friendly chats a few times during their playing days.

"Me and D-Wade had a lot of battles," Hamilon said. "We talked on numerous occasions, especially now. We didn't talk a whole lot when we played against each other because it was survival of the fittest. We knew that we were going to play them in the Eastern Conference, and you would do anything possible to try to get an advantage."

Rip Hamilton takes pride in 'doing something right'

Rip Hamilton was the Detroit Pistons' number-one offensive option during their dominant run during the 2000s. He had led them to the 2004 NBA championship.

Hamilton recorded a career-high average of 20.1 ppg on 49.1 percent field goals. He had a league-leading 45.8 percent clip from 3-point range during the 2005-2006 season when Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat won the NBA title.

This is why Wade regarded Hamilton as one of the toughest players during that time.

Wade had said this in All the Smoke podcast:

"I hated guarding those dudes, especially Rip because he had them nails too.

Hamilton responded,

As a player, you don't come on a court to be liked. But, you want to be respected. I tried to go out there and compete at my hardest each and every night. And for a great player like Dwyane to mention me as one of the toughest guys that he had to guard just lets me know I was doing something right."

Hamilton will have fan interactions over the weekend in the lead-up to the NBA 3x event and the viewing party of the NBA In-Season Tournament Final.