Toronto Raptors: Fred VanVleet’s journey to an NBA champion is nothing short of amazing

From undrafted to NBA champion, Toronto Raptors’ Fred VanVleet’s journey has been extremely inspiring to anyone who has NBA dreams

As history still sinks in for Toronto Raptors‘ players and fans, there is one player on Toronto who has defied all the odds to be an NBA champion. That guy is Fred VanVleet. The 25-year-old was clutch for the Raps at the most important times and has definitely earned himself a healthy payday in the very near future because of it.

Before Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Milwaukee, VanVleet had his first son, Fred VanVleet Jr. Ever since that day, he has been putting up consistent numbers every single game.

It’s like the birth of his child gave him extra motivation. In Game 5 of that series on May 23rd, VanVleet put up 21 points, with all of them coming from the 3-point line, propelling Toronto to a huge win. He’s scored at least 10 points in every game since then except for Game 4 against the Warriors where he only had eight points.

In the NBA Finals-clinching win against the Warriors last Thursday, VanVleet put forward his best performance yet, dropping 22 points including two clutch 3’s in the last five minutes of the game. He continually proved throughout this postseason that no moment is too big for him.

A long journey to NBA stardom

Coming out of high school in Rockford, Illinois, VanVleet wasn’t even recruited by one powerhouse college program. Small schools came calling such as Kent State, Colorado State, and Wichita State. He eventually decided to become a Shocker.

In his first season at Wichita State in 2012-13, they made their first Final Four since 1979. The 5-foot-10 guard played a full four years at Wichita State, then went undrafted in 2016. His next step would be the G-League, where he bounced back between Raptors 905 and the NBA in his rookie season in 2016-17.

In 2017-18, he solidified himself as an NBA regular, being nominated for the sixth man of the year after averaging 8.6 points per game. This past season, he averaged around the same, but his brilliance on the biggest stage has been the one component that’s stood out to everyone across the basketball world.

VanVleet has fought for this. He’s had nothing handed to him. Hard work and belief that he would one day be this type of player is what he’s relied on. There is no substitute for hard work and VanVleet is the prime example. Especially being 5-foot-10, the odds are already against you to be in the NBA, never mind being a game-changing player who is one of the sole reasons the Raptors won game six against the Warriors.

He played remarkable defense all series against Golden State when he was on Steph Curry, making it very tough for the NBA’s best shooter to get any open looks. VanVleet is an absolute grinder and deserves this moment just as much as anyone on this Raptors team.

All the critics were in full force when VanVleet had trouble finding his stroke from downtown in the first two series of the playoffs against the Magic and 76ers. But his confidence and belief in himself never faded, even when he was struggling to score. He kept taking those shots because eventually, they would start to sink. It all came together at the best possible time for VanVleet.

If it wasn’t for his clutch shots at the most crucial moments, The Raptors don’t win this title in six games. Hell, they might not even of won against the Bucks either if he didn’t show out in the last three games of the Eastern Conference Finals.

As the NBA draft quickly approaches this week, VanVleet should be a primary example for college players who don’t hear their names called on draft day that their journey isn’t over. It’s just the beginning. Anything is possible when you work hard and never give up.

Just look at Fred VanVleet. Undrafted. NBA champion.