Apologies if this has been posted yet, but I couldn't find it myself. I'm sure someone will post a link to the thread for me if it's already up From http://www.nba.com/features/francis_olajuwon_021109.html Rockets All-Star Steve Francis played with Hakeem Olajuwon for two seasons. With Olajuwon announcing his retirement on Nov. 9, when the team will officially retire his No. 34 at a halftime ceremony, Francis wrote the following column for the NBA, reflecting on his time as a fan and teammate. There have been a lot of positive influences in my life, and Hakeem has definitely been one of them. From how I play to how I carry myself away from the game, I owe Hakeem a lot. And it started way before he and I became teammates in 1999. What you have to realize is guards always want to be big men and big men want to be guards. And around 1992-93 is when I really became a fan of Dream's game and started emulating some of the things he was doing on the court. I was a teenager and going through some growing spurts so I thought I would eventually develop into a forward. So I started watching how Dream positioned himself, and I started copying his post moves. Because, even though he is one of the greatest centers ever, Dream's game was very diverse. And even though I'm a guard, I still use some of the moves I learned watching him back when he was the best player in the world. The most important thing that Dream taught me as far as basketball is concerned -- and it's something I've really been conscious of this season -- is to create space between the defender and myself so I can get my shot off. But Dream has taught me a lot more than just basketball. He's taught me how to carry myself in life. When I was a rookie, I was playing with Charles Barkley and Hakeem, and it was like night and day with those two. You know Charles is going to be Charles. Dream was completely different. He was understated, and he didn't try to force anything on me. He would say something and leave it at that. It was subtle, but it left a strong impression. Me being a rookie, Dream, at first, watched me to see what type of person I was. Once he found out I was a good person, he took me under his wing. So I watched Dream to see how he carried himself. Media-wise, he was always polite. But he never reads the newspaper. In high school and college, that's one of the first things you did. You ran to the newspaper to see your picture in the paper. I showed up in Houston, I noticed he never read the paper. Now, I don't even look at the sports pages anymore unless it's about football. That was one of the most important things he taught me. But maybe my favorite Dream story has to do with clothes. It was my second year in the NBA, and I think we were in New York. What I remember is that it was really cold. Now, you know Hakeem is always dressed to perfection. You won't find a guy who dresses better than him. So, I walk in and I have a brand-new jean outfit on, jacket and pants. I think I even was wearing a jean cap. I thought I was looking real stylish. We get to the bus, Hakeem looks me up and down and asks, "Are you going to drive the bus to the arena?" I didn't know what he was talking about, so I asked him. And Hakeem says, "Because you look like a bus driver." That right there made me start to change how I dress. It was another unforgettable Dream lesson. I think Saturday's going to be crazy and emotional for everyone involved because Dream is as big as the state of Texas. Even before I came to the Rockets, I knew how big Dream was in Houston. I went to San Jacinto College (1996-97) in Houston. And you didn't have to spend a lot of time in that city before you knew Dream was the Houston Rockets. For me, as a player, I want to show him how far I've grown. I want to show him how far I've come and how much of an influence he's had on me, both on and off the court. I liked it myself. Francis is lying though
Oops. Found it. http://bbs.clutchcity.net/php3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45003 Kindly lock this thread if you will, Mr. Keeley.
Well he's not necessarily lying. I've heard about and seen a few examples of him liking and admiring Dream... certainly a lot more than Barkley anyways. Barkley almost seems bitter about Mobley and Francis not being failures because they didn't listen to him (maybe he was jealous of Hakeem, hehe).
