“Wanna Bet?” The Underdog Journey of Fred VanVleet

NBA title…check (2019)

NBA All-Star…check (2022)

Big-time NBA contract…check (2023)

It may have been an unconventional route for Fredderick Edmund VanVleet, but once he got there, he has done everything to prove all 30 teams wrong for letting him go undrafted.

Born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, Fred was the youngest of Susan VanVleet and Fred Manning’s two sons.

Unfortunately for the family, Manning would be murdered in a drug deal just five years later. 

While the death was a tragedy for the family, it ended up introducing Susan and her boys to Joe Danforth, a detective with the Rockford Police Department.

Under the guidance and motivation of his mother and stepfather, Fred developed an unbreakable work ethic and mental toughness that would serve him throughout his basketball career.

Playing for the Auburn Knights, he established himself as a leader of a non-traditionally recognized basketball program, leading the team to back-to-back Illinois High School Association tournament Final Four appearances.

As a varsity team starter in his grade 10 season, Fred displayed an unmatched mix of confidence and cockiness.

“I remember Fred was in middle school,” said his stepbrother, JD Danforth, “and one of our friends was just asking who (Fred) thought he was better than, just around Rockford. And every time he brought up someone, Fred would say: ‘I’m better than him. I’m easily better than him. I could beat him.’”

Undersized in both height and weight, Fred made up for it with an unmatched willingness to do whatever it took to win, with a high basketball IQ, leadership skills, and the ability to elevate his teammates.

Unfortunately, these traits don’t always show up on scouting reports as much as high-scoring games and jaw-dropping athleticism do.

As a 3- or 4-star recruit (depending on which source you go by), VanVleet caught the eye of a few NCAA programs, but none were major Division I schools.

Of the teams that showed interest in the rock-steady point guard – including Wichita State, Colorado State, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, Drake, Detroit, and Kent State – it would be the mid-major Shockers that ultimately secured his services.

Wichita State turned out to be the perfect fit for VanVleet to display his skills. 

Thanks to then-assistant coach Dana Ford’s intuition, Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall and crew made VanVleet a recruiting pitch that he could not turn down, and on July 4th, 2011, he committed to becoming their point guard of the future.

Coming off the bench for his entire freshman season, VanVleet averaged 16.2 minutes and 4.3 points but had several big games to help the Shockers reach the Final Four of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

In just the school’s fifth trip to the National Semifinals, the Shockers fell 73-68 to the eventual champion Louisville Cardinals.

With the graduation of senior guard Malcolm Armstead, the starting point guard position was open for VanVleet to step into.

Nearly tripling his stats, Fred helped propel Wichita State to become the first 31-0 team in NCAA history.

While the regular season record was one for the history books, the Shockers struggled to repeat their tournament success from the previous year, falling in the third round of the tournament to the Kentucky Wildcats. 

A Sweet Sixteen appearance in his junior year and a second-round loss in his final college season wrapped up four straight tournament appearances for VanVleet and the Shockers.

Yet, despite all of the individual and team accolades, VanVleet’s efforts once again left his future in doubt as NBA teams remained hesitant to draft the point guard.

Especially a fourth-year player when the league has been trending younger.  

“I knew I was one of the best players in the country,” VanVleet noted after all 30 teams passed on him not once but twice.

“I worked out for 18 different NBA teams, and in most of those workouts, I did pretty good. I felt good going into the draft, and a couple of days before the draft, you start to get the realization [that] it might not happen.”

While there were numerous elite college players left scratching their heads following draft night, VanVleet took the slight as motivation to prove the naysayers wrong once again.

Rather than heading overseas or taking up a guaranteed two-way contract from a team during the summer league, VanVleet took the unconventional route and joined the Toronto Raptors’ summer squad – one that offered no guarantees.

Following an impressive summer run with the Raptors, Fred went into training camp battling four other players for the team’s final roster spot.

Once again taking a gamble on himself, VanVleet earned a spot on Toronto’s roster, splitting his time between the Raptors and their G-League affiliate, the Raptors 905.

In sixteen games with the farm club, VanVleet showed the poise, defense, and talent to run an offense, averaging 16.9 points and 7.6 assists while playing 32 minutes a night for 16 games. 

While those numbers didn’t exactly translate onto the main roster, his heart and work ethic impressed the Raptors executives enough to warrant an increased role in his second season. 

While still playing a backup role to Kyle Lowry, VanVleet found himself in conversation for Sixth Man of the Year during his sophomore campaign, and by the 2018-19 season, he became an important piece of the Raptors championship roster.

When asked about his young teammate, Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan gushed, “He’s a helluva individual, man. You wouldn’t think he is a young player. The maturity he carries himself with, the toughness that he walks with. You see it in him. It shows on a basketball court.”

After lighting up the Milwaukee Bucks with seven three-pointers during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, VanVleet showed his talent on the other end of the floor, playing clutch defense (as much as one can) against Steph Curry.

In the years following the Raptors bringing Canada its first and only NBA championship, VanVleet did not rest on his laurels, becoming a full-time starter beside Lowry in a small but effective backcourt.

In 2022, the NBA recognized VanVleet for his efforts, naming him an All-Star reserve, suiting up for Team LeBron.

One season later, he once again bet on himself and came out on the winning end. 

After declining a $22.8 million player option to stay in Toronto, a team that was stuck in limbo between a rebuild and a retool, Fred signed a free-agent deal with the upstart Houston Rockets.

While the 3-year, $128.5 million deal surprised many, it has appeared to be the perfect fit for both him and the inexperienced Western Conference team.

Adding championship experience and maturity to a group of talented but young players helped accelerate the Rockets’ timeline to return to the upper half of the Western Conference rankings. 

“I think you’ve just got to take the opportunities that present themselves, and that was perfect timing. Me kind of transitioning to a veteran leadership role and using my years in Toronto and my experience to help a young team and kind of develop those guys”, VanVleet stated when asked about his decision to head to Houston rather than stay in Toronto. 

Since he was a young baller growing up in Illinois, VanVleet has remained committed to the mantra he lives by: “Bet on Yourself.”

From a small high school program to relatively unknown AAU teams to a mid-major NCAA program to the Great White North and now as one of the key veterans for the up-and-coming Rockets, VanVleet has continued to prove the “experts” wrong.

When you bet on yourself, anything is possible.

---