Ex-NBA star Rip Hamilton did something great to show support to the troops part of the United Service Organizations. In 2016, the year after he officially retired, Hamilton received a call from Ray Allen encouraging him to make the trip overseas to spend time with the troops. “You have to go experience this. The troops will really appreciate it,” Allen motivated him.
Hamilton took Allen’s advice in late April of this year. According to USA Today, he went on a week-long tour of military bases across the world as an act to continue the longstanding relationship between the military and the NBA. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Hamilton told USA Today about his experience, “We have the best league in the world. When you see opportunities like this to go over there, not just me, but from Ray Allen and Caron Butler and everybody else, to go over there and support our guys, support our troops, and be a part of their daily lifestyle. Just let them know, ‘We appreciate you. We support you. We have your back through thick and thin.’ I think that’s the biggest thing and that’s the greatest thing that we have, the constant communication that we have with the leaders of our league.”
