Former NBA star Steve "The Franchise" Francis has been arrested in Texas over the weekend for driving while under the influence. According to a report from TMZ, the former Houston Rockets star was driving his black 2017 Chevy Tahoe on Saturday.
Steve Francis was pulled over by the police at around 11:20 pm for doing 88 mph in a 65 mph-zone. The officers noticed Steve Francis reeking of alcohol and asked him to take a field sobriety test, which Francis refused. He then became angry and "verbally abusive" towards the officers, allegedly vowing to get revenge against the arresting officers. This prompted the cops to call for back up.
During the incident, police also found marijuana in his possession. The police took Steve Francis into custody and charged him with DWI, possession of marijuana and retaliation.
A 3 time NBA All-Star, Steve Francis, now 39, was the 2nd overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. The Vancouver Grizzlies, which the Grizzlies were known during that time before the team moved to Memphis and later became the Memphis Grizzlies, picked Steve Francis. Immediately after the draft, Steve Francis publicly announced that he would not consider playing for the Vancouver Grizzlies.
Before the start of 1999-2000 season, the Houston Rockets traded for Steve Francis in a 3 team 11 player deal. It was the largest trade in NBA history at that time. He was named Co-Rookie of the Year along with number one overall pick Elton Brand of the Chicago Bulls.
In his 9 seasons in the NBA, Steve Francis has played for the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and the New York Knicks. It was with the Houston Rockets where Steve Francis had his best years of his career. He averaged 18.1 points, 5.6 rebs and 6.0 assists per game during his NBA career. He briefly played for the Beijing Ducks of the Chines Basketball Association in China back in 2010 where he averaged 0.5 points and 0.7 rebounds over four games.
This isn't the first time that Steve Francis got arrested for DWI. He was charged with DWI back in 2001 and was arrested again in 2010 for public drunkenness at the Los Angeles International Airport.