Former No. 2 overall pick of the 1999 NBA Draft and three-time All-Star Steve Francis has been charged with felony retaliation after prosecutors said he threatened to assault a Houston-area deputy officer during a traffic stop, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Court records show the 39-year-old University of Maryland product also faces a misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge stemming from the Saturday incident. Online jail records show that Francis was released on $5,500 bond. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, November 23.
Houston-based station KHOU-TV reports that Francis was pulled over for speeding in Harris County, Texas.
The station said a deputy smelled alcohol and Francis was behaving belligerently. The report said more deputies were called to the scene, at which point Francis was arrested. Authorities said no deputies were assaulted by the former Houston Rockets star.
No attorney has been listed for the former point guard in online court records.
Francis played for nine seasons in the NBA, including six in Houston, two in Orlando and one in New York.
His career was cut short due to multiple injuries to his knee and calf which cut out his explosiveness toward the dusk of his pro campaign.
After rejoining the Rockets during the 2007-08 season, Francis played in only 10 games before needing season-ending surgery and ending his NBA career for good.
Francis made a failed attempt at resurrecting his career in China, like his counterpart Stephon Marbury did; but was unsuccessful after four games, returning home where he started several entrepreneurial projects, including a construction company, boxing promotions, a barbershop and clothing line (We R One), as well as a hip-hop record label “Mazerati Music.”
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