When Steve Francis submitted his name for the NBA Draft, he was ready to get selected within the top three. He worked out with the Chicago Bulls, who had the first pick, and the Charlotte Hornets, who had the third pick. Surprisingly, he did not entertain a workout with the Vancouver Grizzlies, the team that held the second overall pick.
Francis eventually got selected by the Grizzlies, but he publicly announced he did not want to play for the Grizzlies. He cited that Vancouver is not the place he wanted to play, which angered the Grizzlies fan base.
“Now, I know people in Vancouver are still pissed off at me for forcing a trade out of there. I damn near cried when I got taken by the Grizzlies at No. 2,” Francis said in his Players’ Tribune article. “I was not about to go up to freezing-ass Canada, so far away from my family, when they were about to move the franchise anyway… The only thing I’m sorry about is that I went up there and gave probably the rudest press conference in NBA history before they traded me.”
Most of the NBA knew the Grizzlies were doomed in Vancouver
The Grizzlies lasted only six years in Vancouver. While many passionate fans supported the team, they struggled to turn a profit. This led to a complete sale before the 2001/02 season, the campaign they transitioned to Memphis, Tennessee.
Before that sale, people predicted that the NBA would lose Vancouver as a city. Back then, players did not want to play for a franchise set to be moved just a few months later. Francis refused to play for the Grizzlies because they played in Vancouver, so he saw moving to Canada and then eventually moving again was not productive for his career.
Players did not want to commit, and Francis was the most prominent. He refused to play for the Grizzlies, which sparked a fiery reaction from the Vancouver fans. Steve got verbally and physically harassed as items like tomatoes, eggs, and even a tennis ball were hurled at him.
Francis does not regret leaving Vancouver
Steve Franchise knew he had a home in Houston, where he would shine as a promising talent. He spent five productive seasons with the Rockets, even peaking during the 2001/02 season when he averaged 21.6 points, seven rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game.
He had no regrets about leaving the Grizzlies apart from the rude press conference he held before Vancouver traded him to Houston.
“Come on, man. Canada? Me? Up there? It just wouldn’t have worked. Houston was the perfect spot for me,” Francis continued.
Nowadays, Steve is fondly remembered for his Houston days because most people would not remember him being part of the Grizzlies organization. He did not get to play, but he sparked one of the most fiery reactions from the fan base, even when they weren’t in Memphis yet.
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