SAN MARCOS — Palomar College professor of American Sign Language David Hamilton will travel to Tokyo this fall as head coach of the U.S. men’s basketball team for the 2025 Deaflympics, marking the latest chapter in his legendary basketball career.
A five-time gold medalist who played in his first Deaflympics at just 17, Hamilton was announced as the head coach for the 2025 team late last year. He is pursuing “nothing but the gold, period” for the team at this year’s games, which take place in Tokyo from Nov. 15-26.
The Lexington, Kentucky, native has loved basketball since he was a kid, when he watched his father, also Deaf, play at the park. By the time he was a high school junior, Hamilton was selected to play for the U.S. Deaf Basketball team in the 1981 Deaflympics in Cologne, Germany.
He went on to play again in Los Angeles in 1985, Bulgaria in 1993, Copenhagen in 1997 (where he was also chosen to be the flagbearer), and Rome in 2001, with the team taking home the gold each time.
Hamilton then pivoted to coaching the U.S. men’s and women’s teams in 2005, and eventually stepped away from coaching for about a decade. However, he started getting the itch to return after watching the United States men’s basketball team secure victory at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“This past summer, the hearing Olympics happened in Paris. Having watched that, it reignited my passion. Watching the U.S. team celebrate, I realized how much I missed that experience,” Hamilton said through an interpreter. “I’m very excited to be leading the team in Tokyo.”
Organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, the Deaflympics is a top-tier athletic competition for premier deaf athletes around the world, occurring every four years. Prospective athletes must have a certain level of hearing loss in order to qualify.
In basketball, the only difference between a hearing and a deaf game is the use of visual cues in place of audio cues. Rather than a whistle, referees raise their hands, and the court utilizes flashing lights or flags instead of the buzzer.
Hamilton has always focused on bringing Deaf culture and Deaf basketball more into the public eye. The Deaf games are entirely separate from both the Paralympics and Special Olympics, and unlike those two events, they are not televised.
“Deaf athletes deserve the same notoriety as other athletes,” Hamilton said. “We feel like we’re kind of on a small island … one of my goals is to get the word out.”
As a teacher of 34 years, Hamilton said he sees students as touchpoints who can spread awareness about Deaf culture to hearing folks. He has taught American Sign Language and Deaf Studies at Palomar College since 2023, and said it is an institution that provides a lot of support.
Hamilton has multiple generations of deafness within his family, with it being genetic on his father’s side. His grandmother and father were deaf, while his mother was hearing. His siblings are also deaf, and one of his children is deaf while the other two are hearing.
Hamilton said he sees deafness as something to be celebrated, not as something that holds him back.
“I love ASL, I love Deaf culture, and I love teaching these students,” Hamilton said. “There’s a stigma that lives these days about Deaf people. The reality is, Deaf people are happy, and they are happy to be Deaf.”
With around five months to go until the Deaflympics, Hamilton is focused on raising funds and trying to secure a sponsor to support the team. The cost for each player to go is around $7,200.
The team also has limited opportunities to get together and train, so Hamilton sends them a training plan and drills to do on their own. They are also planning to get together for a training camp in Las Vegas, and then they will have five days to train together in Tokyo before the games.
The U.S. men’s basketball team has won gold every year at the Deaflympics except 2021, when they were defeated by Ukraine. Hamilton is ready to see the U.S. take back the title this year.
“One of my biggest goals is to have the best prep we can have,” Hamilton said. “Seeing that gold on the wall is something we all want. That pride and accomplishment, it lasts a lifetime.”
