Support and guidance from his family and friends helped Steve get back on the right track. He earned his GED and enrolled at San Jacinto Junior College in Texas. The following year he attended Allegany Community College in Maryland and earned his Associates Arts Degree. Francis led the basketball teams at both of these schools to the NJCAA final. This success landed him at the University of Maryland, and onto to the 1999 NBA Draft, where he was the Second Overall Pick. In 2002, Steve signed a maximum contract extension with the Houston Rockets. He has continued his NBA Career with the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks and again with the Houston Rockets.
“I used to think about all the people who doubted them (Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall and Harriet Tubman) and all the hard work they had to put in to get where they got. It teaches youth that you can overcome anything, and that if you really believe in yourself, there’s no telling what heights you might reach.”
After undergoing a lengthy rehabilitation process on his knee and quadricep following surgery, Steve retired from the NBA but continues to commit himself to the community with his work through The Steve Francis Foundation and to the game of basketball as the owner of the newly launched professional basketball team The Houston Push of The Basketball League and The Steve Francis Basketball Academy.
“The TBL is one thing as well as the Steve Francis Foundation, which I’ve run since 1999. All these things and my NBA career shaped me as person, and despite basketball being the biggest part of my life other than family and having kids, I’m just thankful to be in this position in my life to give back and do it within the game of basketball.”
Above all else, Steve’s pride and joy are his two children, Shailyn Francis and Steven Francis Jr.