Houston Rockets Yao Ming and Steve Francis have fun with on the bench in the 53rd annual All-Star game at Phillips Arena, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2003 in Atlanta.

Houston Rockets Yao Ming and Steve Francis have fun with on the bench in the 53rd annual All-Star game at Phillips Arena, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Enter Steve Francis. "Steve was very warm and very passionate. He was determined to introduce me to everyone on the team," Yao wrote in The Player's Tribune. "'I’m so sorry, I’m a little bit ...

IT WAS LEFT to Nate Robinson to provide the type of defense on Yao Ming that Eddy Curry, allegedly taller and bigger, is supposed to provide. Robinson’s running – and stunning – r… ...

Yao Ming's stay in the NBA wasn't long, ... "When I arrived on my first day, Steve Francis gave me a strong high-five," Ming said. "Steve has been the perfect big brother to me since then." ...

Yo, yo, yo. Now we know how big Yao Ming really is, in size and growing stature. His arrival has practically blotted out public awareness of Steve Francis, who isn't the new fad from Houston but ...

Getting used to American culture was a tall order for Yao Ming. But it seems his Houston Rockets teammates and NBA fans were the ones who messed up during the soon-to-be hall of famer’s rooki… ...

For someone who never looked more alive than he did with the ball in his hands, it has been disheartening in recent years to see what’s become of Steve Francis after his life in pro basketball ...

A defensive mastermind coach, he inherited a solid core led by second-year sensation Yao Ming and explosive point guard Steve Francis—but he couldn’t keep hold of the team after just a year.

A defensive mastermind coach, he inherited a solid core led by second-year sensation Yao Ming and explosive point guard Steve Francis—but he couldn’t keep hold of the team after just a year.