 Francis with theNew York Knicks in 2007 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1977-02-21)February 21, 1977 (age 48) Takoma Park, Maryland, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Montgomery Blair (Silver Spring, Maryland) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1999: 1st round, 2nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Vancouver Grizzlies |
| Playing career | 1999–2010 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 3, 1 |
| Career history | |
| 1999–2004 | Houston Rockets |
| 2004–2006 | Orlando Magic |
| 2006–2007 | New York Knicks |
| 2007–2008 | Houston Rockets |
| 2010 | Beijing Ducks |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 10,446 (18.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,215 (5.6 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,473 (6.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Steven D'Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professionalbasketball player. He was selected with the second overall pick of the1999 NBA draft and was named co-NBA Rookie of the Year (along withElton Brand) in his first season. He was a three-timeNBA All-Star while playing for theHouston Rockets. Francis also played for theOrlando Magic andNew York Knicks, finishing his career with theBeijing Ducks of theChinese Basketball Association. He was known for hiscrossover dribble, driving ability, and flashy dunks. He was given the nicknameStevie Franchise.[1][2]
Francis was born and raised inTakoma Park, Maryland.[3] He was nicknamed "Wink" as a child.[3] After his mother (Brenda) died ofcancer in 1995, his grandmother became a parent figure to him. He stopped playing basketball after his mother died.[4] His father served 20 years in federal prison for bank robbery. Francis later described his stepfather, agarbage collector, as his best friend. As a youth, Francis receivedfood stamps and lived in an apartment with 18 people.[5]
Francis began working for drug dealers at ten years old and began sellingcrack cocaine on the street as a teenager during the Americancrack epidemic. He attended six high schools and played in a total of two high school basketball games. He dropped out of school at 18 years old after his mother died. Francis completed hisGED after receiving an offer to playcollege basketball forSan Jacinto College, whose coaches had noticed him at anAmateur Athletic Union tournament.[5]
Francis attended San Jacinto College in 1996–97, and theAllegany College of Maryland in 1997–98. Francis became the first player to take two unbeaten teams into theNational Junior College Tournament.[4] In a game for Allegany, Francis recorded aquadruple double againstShawn Marion andVincennes University.[5][6]
Francis transferred toMaryland in 1998 for his junior season. The addition of Francis helped propel the Terrapins to a #5 preseason ranking. Francis made an instant impact as Maryland's startingshooting guard, scoring 17 points in the season opener againstWestern Carolina. Francis and the Terps gained national attention with impressive showings in thePuerto Rico Shootout and a 62–60 win over #5Stanford in the BB&T Classic. The Terps climbed to a #2 national ranking by early December.[7]
The Terrapins finished second in the ACC and Francis was named to the All-ACC first team and the All ACC Tournament team. The Terrapins were a number 2 seed in the NCAA tournament but were defeated bySt. John's in theSweet 16. Under Francis's leadership, Maryland finished with a school record 28 wins and only 6 losses and were ranked #5 in the finalAssociated Press poll.
Francis finished the season averaging 17 points per game, 4.5 assists per game, and 2.8 steals per game. He was a consensus second-team All-American and was named a finalist for theWooden andNaismith Player of the Year Awards. Although he stated he was "99% sure" he would return to Maryland for his senior season, he opted to enter the NBA draft.
While a member of the Terrapins, Francis metIdan Ravin, who at the time was coaching youth basketball. Francis soon began attending Ravin's workouts and recommended Ravin as trainer to fellow college players, includingElton Brand. Ravin subsequently became a well-known trainer for a number of NBA players.[8]
Francis was selected second in the1999 NBA draft by theVancouver Grizzlies. In the lead up to the draft, Francis had visited Chicago and Charlotte – holders of the first and third picks – while refusing to visit Vancouver.[9] He publicly announced that he did not want to play for the Grizzlies, citing the distance from hisMaryland home, taxes, endorsements, and God's will. Heavily criticized for his antics, especially inVancouver,[9] he relented and briefly considered joining the Grizzlies before contentious negotiations and a rude question posed by a ticket counter agent atVancouver International Airport convinced Francis that he needed to go elsewhere.[10]
Francis got his wish, being traded before the 1999–2000 season began to theHouston Rockets in a three-team, 11-player deal that broughtMichael Dickerson,Othella Harrington,Antoine Carr andBrent Price, plus first- and second-round picks to the Grizzlies.[11] It was the largest trade in NBA history at that time (in terms of the number of players and picks involved).[12]
Though Francis sharedRookie of the Year honors withElton Brand[13] and finished as runner-up toVince Carter in the 2000Slam Dunk Contest,[14] the Rockets finished the season with a 34–48 record.
The next season, the Rockets improved to 45–37 but still missed the playoffs. In his third season, Francis was chosen by fans to start the2002 NBA All-Star Game, but ended up playing only 55 games due to a foot injury and recurringMénière's-inducedmigraines.[15] As a result, the Rockets posted a dismal 28–54 record, landing them into the lottery, where they selected 7'6" Chinese centerYao Ming with the first pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. Francis and Yao gelled their first season together, and were selected as2003 NBA All-Star Game starters. Francis scored a career-high 44 points in a nationally televised home win against theLos Angeles Lakers on January 17, 2003.[15] The team went 43–39, again missing the playoffs.
Rockets head coachRudy Tomjanovich stepped down in 2003, and the team selected ex-New York Knicks coachJeff Van Gundy as his successor. Van Gundy's coaching style did not fit Francis's style of play. Even though Francis made theAll-Star game for a third straight year his stats declined in2003–04, dropping from 21.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 6.2 APG to 16.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 6.2 APG. The Rockets, however, made theplayoffs for the first time since 1999, which would be Francis's only postseason experience. Despite his averaging 19.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and 7.6 apg, the Rockets lost to the heavily favoredLos Angeles Lakers in five games.
As Francis's relationship with Van Gundy deteriorated it was apparent that the Rockets wanted to go in a different direction. While the coach sought to focus the team's offense onYao Ming, the Rockets ended up trading Francis, along with his best friend on the team,Cuttino Mobley, as well asKelvin Cato, forTracy McGrady,Juwan Howard,Tyronn Lue, andReece Gaines.
During Francis's first tenure in Houston, he averaged 19.3 points, 6.4 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.63 steals in 374 games (372 starts).
At first, Francis was unhappy with the trade toOrlando, but he adapted to his new environment. Francis flourished in therun n' gun offense of interim head coachChris Jent. After posting a career-low 16.6 points per game the previous year with the Rockets, Francis averaged 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game in his first season with the Magic. The Magic started out the year fast in the2004–05 season, with Francis hitting several game-winning shots early in the season.[16][17][18] On December 10, 2004, Francis scored 36 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and recorded 8 assists in a 113–109 win over theGolden State Warriors.[19] In the middle of that season, Mobley was traded to the Sacramento Kings, which upset Francis. The Magic slumped late and missed the playoffs.
The following season, in January 2006,[20] a disgruntled Francis was suspended by the Magic for two games for conduct detrimental to the team.[21] On February 5, 2006, there were rumors that he could be traded to theDenver Nuggets forEarl Watson butGMOtis Smith publicly announced that he would not trade Francis.[22] Still, rumors persisted that Francis would be traded to theNew York Knicks,Los Angeles Lakers,Minnesota Timberwolves,Denver Nuggets or even back to his former team theHouston Rockets.[4]
On February 22, 2006, one day before the NBA's trade deadline, Francis was traded to theNew York Knicks forsmall forwardTrevor Ariza and the expiring contract ofshooting guardAnfernee "Penny" Hardaway.[21] Prior to the trade, the Nuggets reportedly offered both Watson andKenyon Martin for Francis, but the deal never took place.[23] He wore jersey #1 with the Knicks as his usual #3 was already assigned toStephon Marbury.[24] Francis endured a recurring injury,tendinitis in his right knee, and as a result began the2006–07 season averaging only 11.3 ppg, as opposed to his career 18.4 ppg.[citation needed] On March 10, 2007, Francis scored 26 points, including a game-winning three point shot as time expired, and grabbed seven rebounds during a 90–89 win over theWashington Wizards.[25]
On2007 draft night, June 28, the Knicks traded Francis andChanning Frye to thePortland Trail Blazers forZach Randolph,Dan Dickau, andFred Jones;[26] Portland then bought out the remaining two years of Francis's contract for a reported $30 million, making him an unrestricted free agent.[27]
TheMiami Heat,Dallas Mavericks,Houston Rockets, and theL. A. Clippers pursued Francis.[27] On July 20, he chose the Rockets, signing a two-year $6 million contract with them, although the Heat offered the most money.[27] But he failed to makeRick Adelman's rotation coming out of the preseason. He averaged 5.5 points and 3 assists in ten games before undergoing season-ending surgery stemming from an earlier leftquadriceps tendon injury.[28]
Francis used his contract option to come back to the Houston Rockets for the2008–09 NBA season. He lost 15 pounds for training camp, but was not able to play in the beginning of the season due to the recovery period of his injury.[29]
On December 24, 2008, the Houston Rockets traded Francis back to the team that had originally drafted him, the Grizzlies, except now the team was inMemphis. This trade was for a 2011 conditional draft pick. The move allowed the Rockets to drop under theluxury tax threshold.[30] On January 27, 2009, it was reported that Francis was waived by the Grizzlies, without having appeared in a game for them. No other NBA teams expressed an interest in Francis.[31]
In November 2010, Francis signed with theBeijing Ducks of China. He averaged 0.5 points and 0.7 rebounds over four games, playing 14 minutes, before leaving the team in late December of the same year to return to the United States.[32]
On September 27, 2001,a tornado struck theUniversity of Maryland, College Park campus, killing two students and displacing 700 more from their dormitory. Francis, who was on campus at the time, arranged to sponsor a dinner for the displaced students before he flew back toHouston for his third season with theRockets. He said, "I remember all of the people here supporting me while I was a Maryland student, and this is just a small way that I can give back to those who have helped me."[33]
On February 17, 2002, Francis's #23 jersey was honored by Maryland in a ceremony preceding the game against the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils.[34] Francis sat on the team's bench during the game and cheered as the Terrapins upset the Blue Devils 87–73.On election day 2008, Francis supported presidential candidate Barack Obama by wearing a red velvet sports jacket with "Barack Obama" spelled on the back in sequins. Francis said he had followed the presidential race closely."It's important that there is an African-American candidate running", Francis said. "I never thought I'd see the day that would happen. Right now, we're at a pivotal point. It's a great feeling for me."[35]
Francis has suffered fromMénière's disease, which causes episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, and aural fullness.[36]
Francis has ventured into several entrepreneurial projects, including a construction company, boxing promotions, a barbershop and clothing line (We R One), as well as ahip-hop record label, Mazerati Music.[37]
After Francis left professional basketball and his stepfather committed suicide, he began drinking heavily.[5] In November 2016, Francis was arrested in Houston fordriving under the influence and a felony charge of threatening a public servant.[38] In December 2016, he turned himself intoManatee County, Florida police who issued a warrant for his arrest onburglary charges following an incident in which he allegedly broke into a woman's car.[39] In March 2017, he was granted aconditional discharge and sentenced to 50 hours of community service plus a fine of $7,300.[40]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | Houston | 77 | 77 | 36.1 | .445 | .345 | .786 | 5.3 | 6.6 | 1.5 | .4 | 18.0 |
| 2000–01 | Houston | 80 | 79 | 39.9 | .451 | .396 | .817 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 1.8 | .4 | 19.9 |
| 2001–02 | Houston | 57 | 56 | 41.1 | .417 | .324 | .773 | 7.0 | 6.4 | 1.2 | .4 | 21.6 |
| 2002–03 | Houston | 81 | 81 | 41.0 | .435 | .354 | .800 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 1.7 | .5 | 21.0 |
| 2003–04 | Houston | 79 | 79 | 40.4 | .403 | .348 | .775 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 1.8 | .4 | 16.6 |
| 2004–05 | Orlando | 78 | 78 | 38.2 | .423 | .299 | .823 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 1.4 | .4 | 21.3 |
| 2005–06 | Orlando | 46 | 45 | 37.7 | .433 | .257 | .797 | 4.8 | 5.7 | 1.1 | .2 | 16.2 |
| New York | 24 | 15 | 27.5 | .442 | .538 | .761 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 1.0 | .3 | 10.8 | |
| 2006–07 | New York | 44 | 30 | 28.1 | .408 | .378 | .829 | 3.6 | 3.9 | .9 | .3 | 11.3 |
| 2007–08 | Houston | 10 | 3 | 19.9 | .333 | .235 | .565 | 2.3 | 3.0 | .9 | .5 | 5.5 |
| Career | 576 | 543 | 37.6 | .429 | .341 | .797 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 1.5 | .4 | 18.1 | |
| All-Star | 3 | 3 | 24.3 | .552 | .500 | .500 | 2.7 | 5.3 | .7 | .0 | 12.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Houston | 5 | 5 | 44.4 | .429 | .412 | .725 | 8.4 | 7.6 | 1.4 | .2 | 19.2 |
| Career | 5 | 5 | 44.4 | .429 | .412 | .725 | 8.4 | 7.6 | 1.4 | .2 | 19.2 | |