Photo Credit: Frank Gunn/CP

All-Star Fred VanVleet’s Career Has Come Full Circle – When Betting On Yourself Pays Off 

In November of 2020, Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet signed a 4 year, $85 million contract to remain up North.

By signing the contract VanVleet not only became the 6th highest paid player from the 2016 NBA Draft despite going undrafted, but also singed the highest paid contract for an undrafted player, in NBA history.

In most cases, the worst thing that can happen to a college player with hopes to make it into the NBA, is to declare for the draft and then not get selected.

On draft night, we almost exclusively talk about the 60 (mostly) happy players who did make it, but not about the many who had been denied of their dream. Sometimes though, those undrafted players make it into the NBA nonetheless. Which takes us back to Fred VanVleet.

VanVleet was not selected in the 2016 NBA draft. After this disappointment, he then agreed to play in the 2016 NBA Summer League with the Toronto Raptors with the expectation to make the Raptors’ training camp. His summer league contract had a guarantee of three game appearances. VanVleet was able to impress, and the rest is history, incluing an NBA championship. 

Then, this past Thursday night, Fred VanVleet was named and NBA All-Star for the first time in his career, becoming only the fifth undrafted player overall, and the first since Ben Wallace in 2006, to make an All-Star team.

In wake of his All-Star nomination, let’s take a look back at the video of VanVleet that shows him getting up in front of everyone at his draft party to tell them he didn’t get drafted, handling the situation incredibly well. What a great guy!

“My story don’t end here. It’s just the beginning. It wouldn’t really make sense for my story if I did get picked. I’ve been against the odds my whole life. It’s not gone stop now.”