‘I’m living my dream’: Fred VanVleet opens up about NBA All-Star nod, engagement
Before the fame, the wealth and the All-Star nod, Fred VanVleet was just a fan in the stands watching NBA players at Oklahoma City Thunder games.
He can still recall the trips down Interstate 35 from Wichita to watch NBA stars like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in 2013 after helping the Wichita State men’s basketball team to a Final Four run in his freshman season.
Nine years later, VanVleet returned to the same arena in Oklahoma City where he used to dream as a Shocker of someday reaching the NBA. Only he could have imagined what has played out since: winning an NBA championship, setting the Toronto Raptors’ single-game scoring record, signing the largest contract for an undrafted player in NBA history and becoming just the fifth undrafted player to earn All-Star honors.
“That was the goal, my vision coming to the games back then and seeing it up close,” VanVleet told The Eagle in an exclusive interview following the Raptors’ 117-98 win over the Thunder on Wednesday night.
“You’re like, ‘Man, I want to be out there’ and you set your mind to it and you see it and realize it and you just start dreaming it and manifesting it and you start to visualize what it would be like. So to see it all happen and unfold is a pretty special moment. Just to see it come full circle and be back on this court nine years later, it’s just surreal.”
Life has been good lately for VanVleet, who found out Feb. 3 he was officially named an Eastern Conference reserve for the Feb. 20 All-Star Game in Cleveland. Just a few days after that, VanVleet proposed and became engaged to his high school sweetheart, Shontai Neal, who he has two children with, Fred Jr. and Sanaa.
VanVleet’s nickname of “Steady Freddy” is well-earned and even as the successes continue to pile up, he has kept his gratitude and humility that helped make him a legend at Wichita State.
“I’m living the dream, I’m living my dream and I’m not taking that for granted at all,” VanVleet said. “The easiest part is to be grateful and not to take it for granted. I’m really having fun. I’m at peace with my life. I’ve got love, I’ve got family, I’ve got good health and I’m a man of faith. When all of those things go in order, it allows me to stay centered and just keep grinding and keep chasing more. I plan on going further than this.”
Even for Shocker fans, who believed in VanVleet the most after an All-American career, it would be hard to imagine him becoming one of the best basketball players in the world before his 28th birthday. But VanVleet has achieved just that, blossoming from a reliable role player during the Raptors’ NBA championship run in 2019 to a franchise centerpiece in 2022.
After Wednesday’s win, where VanVleet drilled six three-pointers and scored 21 points, the Raptors have won seven straight games and are making a push for the NBA playoffs. VanVleet has been the engine behind the team’s success this season, averaging 21.6 points, 3.9 three-pointers made on 39.6% accuracy, 4.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists — all career-best marks.
“This is the most consistent I’ve been,” VanVleet said. “I’ve shown flashes, but to be at this level I think that’s kind of what being an All Star is, being able to put it together and be consistent and have those flashes and those runs turn into every-night things. Even your bad nights turn into pretty high-level basketball. That’s just the standard that I’ve set for myself and I’m really hard on myself, so that allows me to keep trying to grow and get better.”
Current Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse was an assistant with the team when VanVleet was first trying to make an impression. Nurse was one of VanVleet’s first believers at the NBA level, a belief that was rewarded when VanVleet rose to the occasion and became a key contributor for Nurse during the Raptors’ storied 2019 run to the NBA championship.
VanVleet has developed into a player almost no one thought he could be when he first entered the NBA. That doesn’t mean Nurse believes his potential has been reached.
“It’s just a fantastic story that seems to keep getting better and better,” Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse told The Eagle. “And to me, he’s still not at his ceiling. He’s having an excellent year, but there’s still more for him to develop. There are guys around the league that are really good, veteran players who are multiple-year all-star players that he’s very similar to. I think he needs to keep working and going after that.”
Even in the midst of a career-best season, VanVleet is far from satisfied.
“This is just the beginning,” VanVleet said. “I don’t plan on being just a one-time All Star. I have very high expectations for myself and I don’t really worry about what other people think of me and their expectations of me. I try to chase greatness and maximize my opportunities and that’s something I’ve been able to do, keep growing and not being content and not being satisfied with what I’ve got. I show up to work every day like a guy that’s not supposed to be here. That’s the way I approach it.”
That attitude and approach is exactly what made Wichita State fans fall in love with VanVleet, an appreciation that was easy to see on Wednesday night with dozens of Shocker fans making the short drive from Wichita to dot the crowd of blue with yellow attire to see their favorite former Shocker play in person once again.
Steven and Danielle Vequist are WSU grads and Wichita residents who never pass up a chance to watch VanVleet play when he comes through Oklahoma City. On Wednesday, Steven was sporting a WSU shirt and Danielle was showing off her WSU jersey signed twice by VanVleet.
The couple didn’t watch the NBA before VanVleet made it big. Now they order NBA League Pass every season to make sure they can watch all of VanVleet’s games.
“He’s just a very genuine guy and that’s why we love him,” Steven Vequist said. “I like that he’s not over-confident, though he is confident and he has grit. We love watching him play. It’s been so awesome to watch him accomplish all of the things he’s done.”
Adding All-Star to his resume hasn’t changed VanVleet’s ways.
He’s still the same humble person he was in Wichita, evident by putting former Shocker J.R. Simon, who now lives and works in Oklahoma City, in court-side seats and giving him his game-worn jersey after the game. VanVleet also showed his support for his former teammate by wearing a “Love Is Cool” hoodie, a clothing line run created by Simon, walking into Paycom Center, which was photographed and sent out to the Raptors’ 3.6 million Instagram followers on Wednesday.
After catching up with Simon on the court following the game, VanVleet took the time to sign an autograph, high-five a collection of mostly WSU fans who had gathered by the tunnel and even took off his shoes to give to a young Oklahoma City fan before leaving the floor.
VanVleet’s life is very different that it used to be, but he has remained the same.
“I’m enjoying life and I’m blessed and things are in a good spot right now,” VanVleet said. “I’m riding the high of life. Being selected for the All Star game was amazing, then to turn that week into an engagement at the end was a really special time. I’m just trying to enjoy it and not take anything for granted.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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