Richard "Rip" Hamilton, one of a select number of basketball players to win both an NCAA and NBA championship, announced his retirement on Thursday.

The former UConn great broke the news during an appearance on ESPN's His and Hers.

The 37-year-old Hamilton, who last played in the NBA in 2013 for the Chicago Bulls, spent 14 seasons as a pro, averaging 17.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He was a three-time NBA all-star and won a title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. He is still Detroit's all-time leading playoff scorer.

During his three years (1996-99) at UConn, Hamilton reached legendary status, helping the Huskies to the program's first national championship in 1999. He scored 27 points in a 77-74 title win over Duke and earned Final Four most outstanding player honors. He averaged 19.8 points and 4.5 rebounds for his career.

Hamilton, a two-time Big East Player of the Year, belongs to the Huskies of Honor and the program's All-Century Team. He's ranked second on UConn's all-time scoring list with 2,036 points. Washington selected the 6-foot-7 shooting guard seventh in the 1999 NBA draft.

He remains connected to the UConn program. UConn assistant coach Karl Hobbs recruited Hamilton out of Coatesville (Pa.) High School. His college teammates were current assistant Ricky Moore and director of basketball operations Kevin Freeman.

During the Final Four last year, Hamilton made the trip to Arlington, Texas to root on the Huskies and celebrated with them in the locker room after the national championship win over Kentucky.

"When they win, we win," Hamilton said at the time.

- Gavin Keefe