Throwback Steve Francis aka The Reason 31pts vs Rafer Alston aka Skip 2 My Lou 21pts Highlights @EBC 

His nickname is The Reason because the EBC already had a player named The Franchise (RIP John Strickland, go watch The Blackout) way before Steve ever came to the EBC. Just like when Kobe came up there they gave him the name Lord of the Rings because he just won his third ring. You went to Rucker to get your name, your name before you get there doesn't matter.

The amount of 3XL white tees in the crowd is staggering 😂😂

Skip to my Lou ain’t no slouch! He’s a legit NBA starting PG. Steve Francis was just Elite! It’s the confidence that he has that just exudes from his effortless street ball game style

Stevie Franchise was one of the most underrated PG ever! He was NICE!

R.I.P Escalade

Francis was way ahead of his time. Imagine him now in this guard oriented league with high pick n roll usage

A lot of people forgot how nice "The Franchise" was. He came and did what he was supposed to do at The Rucker. Skip made it to the NBA. Steve Francis was a perennial All-star in the league during his day. Big difference !

Steve Francis put on a show

Anybody notice Steve Francis shot all is free throws off the backboard? That’s crazy

People act like Steve Francis wasn't that dude had the handles, jumper , playmaker, would dunk on anyone and was a supremely talented showstopper

Shooting all ft's off glass is cold

People forget what Steve Francis really was and how he was a Legend in the DC area and had to go to JC before going to Maryland... 💯💯💯🤷🏾‍♂️

Steve Francis was a showman , 3X All-Star in the NBA 9 year career . He seems to be doing much better now , saw an interview he did a few years back he looks healthy .

Steve Francis killed Skip To My Lou this game and Future killed Headache 💯

This is what NY needs more of in 2022 and beyond..

Steve Francis is nasty. Skip to my Lou. Was scared to death to guard him. On my soul. Stevie Franchise is super nasty. Word to life. Word to. Word to God.

I remember dummies who used to argue about the and1 street all guys being better than nba dudes and how the nba guys couldn’t do street ball moves.. lol

STEVE FRANCIS HAD BETTER HANDLES THAN SKIP!!!!!

Man I would have loved to see Francis in this era. He had such a confidence to his game. He made it look effortless out there. And you can tell his game was honed in streetball. So he felt right at home out there. Miss these days!

If you really watched Steve Francis in the league he had a street ball game. Him and A.I made the wide crossover famous

Skip 2 my Lou made it from the streets to the NBA and shake and baked Sasha Vujacic

This shyt so old! Brings back so many memories, me being a “80s baby”, And1 and NAB JAM. Luv this!

Steve Frances got 1 of the best handles of All Times. Next to A.I, Kyrie Irving,& Hotsauce

I feel like the beginning of the end of And1 was when they took away the vets. We've been seeing these individuals for years so why would u take them away? Even if they only got 2 minutes a game, it was more than how good of a player they were, they were also very entertaining off court. Headach always seemed like he was really having fun out there. When they brought in those power hungry coaches & took away the vets it was over. Main Event was a great coach in season 2...smh And 1 really dropped the ball

Those behind the back crossover is next level ish! Look fly too

Fuck yeah...skip went to fresno state....I went there cause of him...but Francis was nasty in the NBA..skip had sick handle too...2 legends for sure...

Steve Francis was at one point one of the top 10 players in the NBA. I remember him single handedly beating Kobe and Shaq in his prime versus Lakers in theres and he could put on a show versus Kobe and Shaq so pretty sure he can school this unknown Skip 2 Lou

That EBC DVD was so fire back in the day when I was a teenager, when KOBE came to the Rucker and they called him The Lord of the Rings . It was different man I miss these times

Seeing the best player on ya team get cooked by the other teams best player will either humble you or motivate you

I kkow skip owns streetball in general, but you gotta give that day to Francis. He was looking like the star that day and i can say i was there at that game so many years ago wow..

Steve was insan, he lil man'd skip

Steve Francis definitely a better player than Rafer Alston. Both in streetball and NBA.

Back when NBA had guys to represent them like Francis Iverson Marbury J-Will who handles were Nasty...now all i see is Kyrie Irving really

The good ole days!!!!😎

There's a little Seventh -Day Adventist School in Takoma Park Maryland that used to be called Columbia Union college, now it's called Washington Adventist University. Stevie used to come in and hoop with us when he was a boy. There was a lot of dribbling from 'Jughead'. The seventh day Adventist have a basketball league and Stevie played in it. He was a dunk machine. A buddy of man who used to play for Columbia Union College that I mentored, took Stevie under his wings. He put Stevie on a AAU team along with a kid that I was mentoring and they completely decimated the league. When it came time to play for his Blair high school team in Montgomery county Maryland, he always came up short with the grades so he didn't really get a chance to show out. He cut his teeth however in local DC area leagues so much that the NBA was going to draft him off the playground. His mom turned it down. Stevie was a beast off the court too. A dude used to rent a gym called Takoma- Langley Rec Center. Only serious ballers were allowed along with their coaches. I had another kid I was mentoring and put him out there. Stevie had just got drafted. After the free play sessions, Stevie would Lead everybody to the weight room and then they would drive to his neighborhood in Takoma Park and Stevie would lead everyone to run up and down the steepest hill there. That dedication is what got him in the NBA and explain when I saw him come down for an open dunk, his shoulders were above the rim and he had to push down in the hoop. It was a two-handed dunk.

When was Steve Francis called the reason... Sound like a myplayer on 2k😂😂😂

Damn shame what happened to The Franchise Steve was one of the best right next to BubbaChuck A.I.3

Both of their hezi pull ups are deadly 🤯

From 2:36-2:43,7:33-7:45 I practiced that whole sequence for years lol. Going up and down the court over and over . Some people have a good handle but Steve franchise and skip had what we call in the hood a yo-yo. The way steve brought the ball up the court and the crowd starts going crazy bruh It was flawless.

Stevie Franchise always had that handle! He is totally disrespected by not being mentioned as some of the best handles in the league.

Skip had one of the greatest split careers lol Skip in the street Rafer in the league. That man was in the Finals showing off. I was proud of him he came a long way and gave street ball a good name by proving that he could be both. Great job Skip. Peace.

Steve should have been arrested and charged with assault because of the way he destroyed headache.

Steve had the better handles and most def the better offensive game

Stevie franchise my fav player as a kid loved him at Maryland and with Houston I always admired his game sheesh time has gone so fast!!!

Nah what! This is vintage 🔥🔥🔥 Steve Francis was a beast!!!

Salute And Respect to street ball Legends....

Keep in mind nobody double teamed skip!

They should call steve francis the magnet. dude looks like he has magnetic hands bouncing the ball so hard and never loses it..

2000s babies don't know nothing about this! To the 80s and early 90s babies our childhood was the shit!!

Y’all didn’t even peep the original ninja head band tho

Francis had better handles...sorry skip 😩😩😩

Steve shot every freethrow off da backboard.....I remember this game🔥

The Franchise's handle in his prime had no equal..I said it...

I remember this game. Stevie was really like dat.. Skip was a baller but Steve was next level on this court. These dudes couldn't fuck with him, not even Skip

Steve Francis was eating up skip like it was his last meal.

Francis reminds me of ai he was legit with the handles and jump shots

They forgot about...my man Francis..smh...by then skip is a nba pg..no more street baller....two great point guards...

Yo this brought back so many memories it was a beautiful time to be from NY.. we use to sit on top of the great when we couldn’t get in

Franchise came to Harlem world and stood on business! Roasted skip in his own city🔥

I never seen this footage until now. Absolutely loved it! Franchise is one of my all time favorite players. It was an absolute joy to see this. I miss Wink or Steve-O!😂😢

Skip to my Lou wasn't that good now that I'm watching him as an adult lol like wtf was that at 3:44

Skip did not want that smoke in the end. You could see Steve was about to shut the lights off.

Steve obviously has superior skills but to me he also looked to have slightly better ballhandling than skip.

I modeled my entire high-school ball game after Stevie. 3s and flying high dude was an inspiration.

THE GOOD OLE DAYS!!!!🤎🤎🤎 RUCKER PARK WAS LIFE!!!!!!💯💯💯

Steve franchise was a problem on them courts

Rafer Alston is the second best streetball player to ever play in rucker park right behind Dr.J

Skip wasn't the same streetballer when he joined the league. His younger years as a streetballer is when he had more swag and smooth moves

Steve Francis was Ja Morant before Ja

I love both they game and swag, no shame in done!! No one would be in awe if was a superstar busting up a bum lol!! This is a legit opponent he handling the biz to, that's what makes it entertaining, it's all good!!!!

The announcer 😭

Skip and Steve made it to the NBA.. Steve Francis made it to all star games though.. Skip never made any all star appearances

Any comment about Steve Francis nickname not being The Reason is getting deleted!!! I'm tired of trying to explain to people who can't read or they commented before actually watching the video.

Franchise 🐐

Whole park got the white tee memo 😂😂

Steve ate Skip alive

If not for Bias Steve Francis would've been the Greatest Terp eva 🤔😎

Everybody talking about franchise I'm the nba I remember him at Maryland in college kid was a problem against my Tarheels . Lobe snakcingbdudes on 2k with this dude, he's a beast

RIP Greg G

Why no one challenge today vs Professor or Bone Collector or any known streetball baller vs the best handles/crossover NBA players. Kyrie vs Professor let's see

Late 90's - early 2000's Rucker Park was peak streetball. Flashy dribble moves were getting really popular before And 1 came around. Allen Iverson also had a game I believe where he dropped 40. Of course Kobe visited coming off a three-peat as well. Steve Francis was the man this game and I modeled my game after him growing up. I think that this is the same announcer that went crazy when Lamar Odom did that Shamgod through the defenders legs. I can tell because he sounds just like Stephen A. Smith 😂😂. Also I believe "Headache" is Tim Gittens right?

I always thought skip just had that one move, but hot sauce and AO had Handel's. Shane da Dribbling machine was alright, and white chocolate had and still have sick moves.

Both was in the NBA around this time

Them dudes were scared to guard Steve lol, they gave him so many uncontested jumpers. I can't blame them, Steve had that street style but also NBA proven quick cross that you usually don't see on playgrounds. But still funny though how they said press him in the backcourt, sag off like a mug once he crosses halfcourt lmao

😎

And 1 skip to my Lou in Houston rockets point leader Steve Francis celebrating 🍾 my reporting on history in the news from sports in TV in movies congratulations telford j jamerson

To be honest skip was great but his older brother was better had a game more like his dad rip Uncle Richard skip wasn't known for defense ramar was a straight up monster I saw those two go at it in st. Albans park 1 on 1 and ramar spanked him for 500 if ramar would have took playing ball just half as serious as skip y'all would have loved to watch him play

Skip to my lou and 1💙💙

Does anyone know who number 19 was with the dunk? At about 2:20 min in cause he looks huge and I couldn't recognize him

Both played for the rockets, Steve came to play, while rafter came to impress....

Til this day I still have not seen anyone with a better handle than Steve Francis. Kyrie Harden all these guys today dont have the bounce that Francis had.

The crowd, the energy, and the commentating...can't replicate that.

Lol going glass every free throw is nasty work but man do i miss this era and Stevie Franchise 😂

Playing with same color of jerseys is tuff.😂

nothing quite says "I'd rather look good than win" like and 1.

Steve Francis was a serious problem early in his career! Some of the best handles i've seen to this day

no one : The manager of this pick up game : Yea man, let's make both teams wear black .

Nice to see this old footage, the thing I never liked is the announcers talkin the whole game smh!!!

Young Escalade in the Rucker RIP

Steve got mad at the end he couldn't get Skip back cause time ran out lol