“It’s a goal of mine and that’s when I retire, after the Olympics.”
The 6” 8’ forward was speaking to Basketball England at the launch of the NBA’s new 3v3 programme - which has been rolled out across schools in London to inspire more young people to play basketball - where he also threw his hat in the ring for Team England selection for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Now aged 36, Hamilton’s name has been synonymous with the four-quarter version of the game, having played professionally since 2006 across Spain, Italy, Ukraine, Greece, Lebanon, Canada, France, as well as domestically for the London City Royals, where he won the BBL Trophy with MVP honours, and a stint with the Plymouth Raiders.
However, he has remoulded himself to excel in the short-sided version of the game, which he believes can get Team GB on the Olympic podium, as well as more people playing the sport.
Last summer, alongside teammates Hafeez Abdul, Evan Walshe and Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye and coached by 3x3 specialist Julius Joseph, Hamilton led GB to qualify for a first-ever appearance in the men’s FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup tournament.
The quartet then made it to the quarter-finals of the Cup by knocking out Latvia, who won Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020, before Switzerland ended their run.
Their achievements – off the back of England winning its first basketball gold medal by beating Australia in the men’s 3x3 competition at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – further proved that British ballers belong on the basketball world stage and can compete against well-established 3x3 nations.
Since being introduced into the family of Olympic sports in Tokyo, 3x3, oft-quoted as the world’s number one ‘urban sport’, has seen a rise in popularity because, like skateboarding and BMX, it has cross-over appeal.
In fact, the International Olympic Committee has just announced plans to expand the amount of teams in the 3x3 in LA from eight to 12, recognising it says 'the growth of 3x3 basketball over recent years and the sport’s global appeal and development'.
As Hamilton says, basketball is ‘pop-culture’ and 3x3 is where the fusion of the game with food, music and fashion is seen best and because it’s modelled on street ball, which has inclusivity at its heart, anyone can get involved.
“Basketball is pop culture,” says the Londoner.
“If you look at what’s moved the needle in basketball – from the NBA in the States to Europe – it’s the people. It’s the vibe that’s created through the sport and that’s essentially what 3x3 is.
“You're going to have people at 3x3 events who don't even play basketball, and whenever that happens, people see what’s going on and they’re like, ‘oh, we like this, we like this energy. We like what's going on here’.
“Street ball has always been popular. The next step is 3x3 and you can get people involved straight away. The model has been proven and can be replicated anywhere in the country and something someone can take to a high level if they want to.
“I see the opportunity for myself and for the sport and for the British game to be further recognised [internationally], and I feel like, because this is something that's trending upwards, you can make some noise in the sport. You can help influence it and mould it.”
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