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Steve Francis
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Steve D'Shawn Francis (born February 21 1977, in Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the NBA. Nicknamed "The Franchise" and self-described as "Steve-O". He is known for his crossover dribble, driving ability, and flashy dunks.
University of MarylandAfter attending San Jacinto College as a freshman and Allegany Community College as a sophomore, Francis transferred to the University of Maryland 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 starting shooting guard, scoring 17 points in the season opener against Western Carolina. Francis and the Terps gained national attention with impressive showings in the Puerto Rico Shootout and a 62-60 win over #5 Stanford in the BB&T Classic. The Terps climbed to a #2 national ranking by early December.
The Terrapins finished second in the ACC in the 1998-99 season with a 13-3 record, losing only to Duke (twice) and Wake Forest. They were defeated by UNC in the semifinals of the ACC tournament. 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 by St. John's in the Sweet 16. Under Francis' leadership, Maryland finished with a school record-setting 28 wins and only 6 losses and were ranked #5 in the final Associated 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 the Wooden and Naismith 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.
On February 17, 2002, Francis' #23 jersey was honored (but not retired) by Maryland in a ceremony preceding the game against the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils. Francis sat on the team's bench during the game and cheered as the Terrapins upset the Blue Devils 87-73.
NBA careerHouston Rockets (1999-2004)Francis, out of the University of Maryland, was the second overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies. He infamously wept in disappointment after being chosen by Vancouver, predicting that the Chicago Bulls would regret selecting Elton Brand first overall instead. He also publicly announced that he did not want to play for the Grizzlies, citing the distance from his Maryland home, taxes, Canadian money, endorsements,the cold,and God's will. Francis was heavily criticized for his antics, especially in Vancouver.
Francis got his wish when he was subsequently traded to the Houston Rockets that summer in a three-team, 11-player blockbuster deal that brought Michael Dickerson, Othella Harrington, Antoine Carr and Brent Price, plus first- and second-round picks to the Grizzlies. He and Brand shared Rookie of the Year honors.
In his rookie year he was the runner-up to Vince Carter in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest. Despite his remarkable year, the Rockets finished with a 34-48 record. In Steve's second year, he averaged 20 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 6.5 apg. He led the Rockets to a 45-37 record, but his team still missed the playoffs. In his 3rd year, Francis averaged 21.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 6.4 apg. He was voted in as a starter by the fans for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game for the first time in his short career. Despite this, the Rockets had a bad year, posting a 28-54 record. This proved to be a blessing in disguise because the Rockets were in the draft lottery and they got the first pick. In 2002 NBA Draft, they chose 7'6 center Yao Ming. Steve and Yao gelled together in their first season together and they both were selected as starters in the 2003 All-Star Game but the Rockets still missed the playoffs.
When Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down in 2003, Jeff Van Gundy became the replacement coach. Jeff Van Gundy's coaching style did not fit Steve's style of play, even though he made the All Star game in the 2003-04 season; his stats declined from 21.0 PPG 6.2 APG 6.2 RPG to 16.6 PPG 5.5 RPG 6.2 APG. The Houston Rockets made the playoffs that year in 2003-04, Steve Francis's only playoff appearance. But they ran into the powerful Los Angeles Lakers and, despite a powerful and clutch performance from Francis, lost that series 4 games to 1. Francis averaged 19.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and 7.6 apg in the series. As his relationship with coach Van Gundy deteriorated it was apparent that the Rockets franchise wanted to go in a different direction. Ultimately, coach Jeff Van Gundy sought to make Yao the focus of the Rockets' offensive attack. However, rather than focusing the offense on Yao, the Rockets traded Francis and others for Tracy McGrady.
During Francis' first tenure in Houston, he averaged 19.3 points, 6. 4 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.63 steals in 374 games (372 starts).
Orlando Magic (2004-2006)On June 29, 2004, Francis was traded to the Orlando Magic along with Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato in a seven-player deal that sent Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines to Houston.
At first, Francis was unhappy with the trade, but adapted to his new environment. Francis flourished in the "run n' gun" offense of interim head coach Chris Jent. After posting a career-low 16.6 points per game the previous year with the Rockets, Francis averaged 21.3 PPG, 7.0 APG and 5.8 RPG in his first season with the Magic. The Magic started out the year fast in the 2004-05 season, with Francis providing great play, getting a couple of game-winning layups early in the year. They slumped late and missed the playoffs, but it seemed the Magic were heading in a positive direction.
On February 5, 2006, there were rumors that he could be traded to the Denver Nuggets for Earl Watson but they were later dismissed and GM Otis Smith publicly announced that he would not trade Francis. However, rumors persisted that Francis would be traded to the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics, or even back to his former team, the Houston Rockets.
New York and Portland (2006-2007)On 22 February, 2006, one day before the NBA's trade deadline, Steve Francis was traded to the New York Knicks for small forward Trevor Ariza and the expiring contract of shooting guard Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway. Prior to the trade, the Denver Nuggets reportedly offered both Watson and Kenyon Martin for Francis, but the deal never took place. He made his Madison Square Garden debut on Friday, February 24th when the New York Knicks faced the New Jersey Nets, and scored 16 points in a 94-90 loss for the Knicks. He wore jersey #1 with the Knicks as his usual #3 was already assigned to Stephon Marbury. Francis has endured a recurring injury, tendinitis in his right knee, and as a result began the 2006-07 season averaging only 11.3 ppg, as opposed to his career 18.4 ppg. He returned on February 10, 2007 vs the Utah Jazz. On March 10th, Francis hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer against the Washington Wizards, ending one of his best games as a Knick in front of his hometown. On 2007 draft night, June 28, the Knicks traded Francis and Channing Frye to the Portland Trail Blazers for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones. On July 10, the Trail Blazers bought out the remaining two years of Francis's contract for a reported $30 million, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Return to Houston (2007—)The Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and the L.A. Clippers pursued Francis. On July 20, Francis chose the Rockets; signing a two-year $6 million contract with them, although the Heat offered the most money. However, he has failed to make Rick 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 left quadriceps tendon injury.
Francis has also publicly said that he plans to use his contract option to come back to the Houston Rockets next year.
TriviaBefore arriving at Maryland, Francis became the first player to take two unbeaten teams into the National Junior College Tournament, accomplishing this with San Jacinto (Texas) in 1997 and Allegancy (Maryland) in 1998.
Francis stands as one of only four players in NBA history (Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Grant Hill)to average at least 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists in each of their first six seasons.
Was reported to have a 40 inch vertical leap.
He appeared in the 2002 basketball comedy Like Mike in the credits and a part of the Slam Dunk Contest.
PersonalHe and his wife, Shelby, have a daughter, Shailyn, and a son, Steve De'Shawn Francis II.
Holds the most admiration for his grandmother, Maribel Wilson, and his late mother Brenda Wilson.
Received the nickname "Wink" as a youth.
Invested as an owner in the "We R One" clothing line.
Runs a record label called Isoh Entertainment.Has two older brothers, Jeff Jr. and Terry, and a younger sister, Tiffany. Earlier in his career with the Rockets, attended summer school at the University of Maryland.
Enjoys bowling.
NBA career statistics Regular season |-
| align="left" | 1999–00
| align="left" | Houston
| 77 || 77 || 36.1 || .445 || .345 || .786 || 5.3 || 6.6 || 1.5 || .4 || 18.0
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| align="left" | 2000–01
| align="left" | Houston
| 80 || 79 || 39.9 || .451 || .396 || .817 || 6.9 || 6.5 || 1.8 || .4 || 19.9
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| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Houston
| 57 || 56 || 41.1 || .417 || .324 || .773 || 7.0 || 6.4 || 1.2 || .4 || 21.6
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| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Houston
| 81 || 81 || 41.0 || .435 || .354 || .800 || 6.2 || 6.2 || 1.7 || .5 || 21.0
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| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Houston
| 79 || 79 || 40.4 || .403 || .292 || .775 || 5.5 || 6.2 || 1.8 || .4 || 16.6
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| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Orlando
| 78 || 78 || 38.2 || .423 || .299 || .823 || 5.8 || 7.0 || 1.4 || .4 || 21.3
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| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Orlando
| 46 || 45 || 37.7 || .433 || .257 || .797 || 4.8 || 5.7 || 1.1 || .2 || 16.2
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| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | New York
| 24 || 15 || 27.5 || .442 || .538 || .761 || 3.0 || 3.5 || 1.0 || .2 || 10.8
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| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | New York
| 44 || 30 || 28.1 || .408 || .378 || .829 || 3.6 || 3.9 || .9 || .3 || 11.3
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| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Houston
| 10 || 3 || 19.9 || .333 || .235 || .565 || 2.3 || 3.0 || .9 || .5 || 5.5
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| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 576 || 543 || 37.6 || .429 || .341 || .797 || 5.6 || 6.0 || 1.5 || .3 || 18.1
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| align="left" | All-Star
| align="left" |
| 3 || 3 || 24.3 || .552 || .500 || .500 || 2.7 || 5.3 || .7 || .0 || 12.0
Playoffs |-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Houston
| 5 || 5 || 44.4 || .429 || .412 || .725 || 8.4 || 7.6 || 1.4 || .2 || 19.2
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| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 5 || 5 || 44.4 || .429 || .412 || .725 || 8.4 || 7.6 || 1.4 || .2 || 19.2
External links-
- - Houston Rocket Fan Site
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