Ex-NBA great Francis opens up about dealing drugs as child
Former NBA star Steve Francis opened up about his troubled childhood Thursday in an essay published on The Players' Tribune website.
Francis, a three-time All-Star who also was named Rookie of the Year in 1999-2000, said he earned his first job at 10 years old as a liaison for drug dealers. He would wait outside of a Chinese restaurant and relay messages from people looking for drugs or other illicit activities.
"Four years before I was on that plane with Hakeem (Olajuwon) telling me we're going shopping for cashmere suits together -- four years before I was about to go play against Gary Payton -- I was on the corner of Maple Ave in Takoma Park, Maryland, selling drugs outside the Chinese joint," Francis wrote.
Francis grew up in Washington D.C., which was ravaged by the drug epidemic in the 1980s. His mother died when he was a child, and his father was in jail.
"Crack devastated our entire community," wrote Francis, now 41. "It was like a plague, man. I watched it. I lived it. I sold it. ...
"At 18, I'm selling baggies on the corner in Takoma Park, getting robbed at gunpoint. At 22, I'm getting drafted into the National Basketball Association, shaking David Stern's hand."
Francis said he never has done crack, but he admitted that he struggled with alcohol in recent years. In April 2017, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. He started rehab shortly after his arrest.
--Field Level Media
