Houston, TX (My Sportsbook) - Houston legend Hakeem Olajuwon will have his No. 34 jersey retired and will officially end his NBA career at the Rockets' contest against the Golden State Warriors this evening.

Despite spending the past season in Toronto, Olajuwon is a hero of his former teammates in Houston. Steve Francis has nothing but respect for the future Hall of Fame center.

"He's like royalty," Francis said. "I'm basically inheriting, all of us are inheriting, something that guy built here in Houston. I have the utmost respect. I don't care how long the retirement (ceremony, planned for 22 minutes) takes. I don't care who's here or how long they have to talk, out of respect for the city and out of respect for what he did for me. That's what type of day it's going to be here."

Houston has split its first four contests of the season after falling 104-97 to Seattle on Tuesday. Francis registered 33 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the defeat, while Eddie Griffin added 23 points and Cuttino Mobley chipped in 22.

Rookie top pick Yao Ming continues to see limited minutes for the Rockets, as he posted no points and four fouls in 15 minutes against the Sonics. Ming is averaging just 2.5 points per game and 15.8 minutes per contest.

The Rockets will be playing in the third contest of their current four-game homestand. Houston has split its first two home games of the season.

Golden State will hope to spoil the Rockets' tribute to Olajuwon, but it could be tough considering it has lost five in a row since opening the season with a win. The Warriors suffered yet another loss on Friday, falling 110-104 at the hands of the New Orleans Hornets.

Jason Richardson paced the Warriors with 31 points on 11-of-22 shooting and Antawn Jamison netted 28 points. Gilbert Arenas contributed 19 points in a losing cause.

"We did a pretty good job of just hanging around...giving ourselves an opportunity to stay in the game," Golden State head coach Eric Musselman said. "Hopefully, as we gain experience with some of our young guys, we can eventually close these games."

The Warriors hurt themselves with miscues, as they turned the ball over 17 times in the loss.

Houston has dominated this series over the last three years, winning 9-of-12 meetings. The Rockets have pushed their lead in the all-time series to 88-68.