In the early 2000s, the NBA saw a few small guards who had incredible ball-handling skills. Most people would immediately think of Allen Iverson when you bring up the best ball-handling guards of the 2000s, but there was another player many have forgotten about.
The player I’m speaking of is Steve Francis. If fans do remember Francis, they remember those ball-handling skills and his ability to score the ball with his patented high-level intensity.
Francis, who was known as Stevie Franchise, played nine seasons in the NBA, averaging 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. With those types of numbers, you’d think Francis had a great college and even high school career.
Francis had to develop those skills somewhere, right? Well, this is where the story becomes strange yet incredible. This is the real story about Steve Francis and his high school basketball career… Or lack of a high school career.
Steve Francis Played In Only 2 High School Games
When Steve Francis was in middle school, he was the star of his basketball team. But once he reached Montgomery Blair High School, things didn’t work out the way he planned them.
Francis was the third-string point guard, and he wasn’t seeing any playing time. Then, Francis found himself hanging out with the wrong crowd.
At 10 years old, Francis started working for drug dealers, as he would answer a payphone when it rang, giving directions to people who wanted to buy drugs.
By the time he was 15, Francis had started to sell drugs, including crack cocaine. It eventually caught up to him, and it led to him being suspended from school.
Francis would then transfer to John F. Kennedy High School, where he’d discover once again that he wouldn’t be able to play basketball. The rules of him being a transfer student meant he couldn’t play basketball in the first semester.
After the first semester, Francis tried out for the varsity basketball team just to be cut because of his height. The coaches at his school told him to play Junior Varsity basketball, but an upset Francis quit basketball and returned to selling drugs.
As a sophomore, Francis would make the varsity team, but failing grades got him kicked off the team after playing in just two basketball games. Francis would transfer to other schools, have to sit out a semester because of the rules, and not make the team because his grades continued to hold him back.
All together, Francis attended six high schools in his life, just playing in those two basketball games.
HBD STEVIE FRANCHISE
One of the most exciting point guards in NBA history!
If social media was around during Francis’ All-Star days, his name would be trending daily. pic.twitter.com/mTBUyV8MI8
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 21, 2023
Francis eventually dropped out of high school, yet still Francis would attend college, three, to be exact. He attended San Jacinto College and then Allegany College of Maryland. Finally, in his junior year, he transferred to the University of Maryland, where he became a star.
Francis was named a consensus second-team All-American and a finalist for both the Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year Awards.
Francis would be selected second overall in the 1999 NBA draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies, and eventually, he’d be traded to the Houston Rockets after stating he wouldn’t play for Vancouver. In Houston, Francis would become Stevie Franchise, a star in the NBA.
The last question remains: How did Francis play college basketball if he only played in two high school basketball games?
After dropping out of high school, Francis continued to play streetball, where he was a local legend.
This led to Francis traveling to play in basketball tournaments, where scouts for San Jacinto College noticed him and quickly offered him a scholarship. Francis would return to Montgomery Blair High School, where he’d earn his GED.
So, there you have it, the incredible story of how Steve Francis became an NBA star, despite only playing in two high school basketball games. Francis shows you that no matter how hard life can get if you don’t give up and work hard, you can achieve your dreams.
Story credit to Ballislife.
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