On his first rack in the first round of the three-point contest, Fred VanVleet bobbled picking up the basketball and proceeded to hit the side of the backboard. Making his first appearance under the sheen of the NBA’s illustrious all-star Saturday night, the soon-to-be 28-year-old with wisdom beyond his years could never quite get going.
Sunday was, in the eyes of VanVleet, the main event. The all-star game is what he’s dreamed of and envisioned playing in ever since he was a kid. He was introduced as an NBA champion, came out and made his first shot, distributed the ball for a few assists, and played just about the adequate amount of all-star game defence.
What’s the lesson here, kids? Even the man with indomitable self-belief and bets on himself more than anyone gets nervous from time to time. That’s perfectly fine, too, because while this may have been VanVleet’s first taste of all-star festivities, by no means does he plan on making it his last.
“Just to be here and not let it be such a shock that Fred VanVleet is at all-star weekend,” VanVleet said of what he hoped to accomplish over the course of the weekend. “This is just my welcoming, I don’t plan on going anywhere any time soon. Hopefully this is just the first, not the last, and I can continue a long, healthy career after this at a high level.”
Raptors fans will be pleased to note the league-leader in minutes accumulated just nine total for his six points, three assists, and two rebounds despite Chris Paul only playing two minutes due to a thumb injury. With Cavaliers guard Darius Garland around as the home team talent and Steph Curry putting on a masterful show with 50 points, VanVleet was able to mostly sit back and enjoy the show as his team came up with the victory.
Taking it all in was a big theme for VanVleet all weekend. It’s not every day he’ll get a chance to share a room with LeBron James, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic. Even more rare of an occurrence was the halftime show that presented the recently announced 75 greatest players in NBA history and gave VanVleet among the better seats in the house for the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Oscar Robertson to be recognized.
“Probably just being in the locker room with the guys, just to be able to hear some of the stories, share stories, I think that’s probably the best part,” VanVleet said of his favourite part of the weekend. “Just to be a part of the brotherhood of what this elite level is and obviously the game is way more fun than anything else I’ve done since I’ve been here [in Cleveland].”
VanVleet’s story is one that the brotherhood has become more and more familiar with as he’s risen through the ranks and someone who’s tracked his progress from afar and seen that story unfold in the most incredible way is Chris Paul. Paul first crossed paths with him in 2014 at the 12-time all-star’s own CP3 Elite Guard Camp, an invitation-only three-day event held in North Carolina for top high school and college point guards in the United States. VanVleet held his own at the camp, and the traits that stood out about him as a 20-year-old continue to resonate today in Paul’s eyes.
“Fred is a guy who you just say got it out the mud,” Paul said. “I really respect the guys who get paid, get these deals, and it don’t change ‘em. I’ve played long enough to see a guy get a big deal and then their game just changes. Fred plays the same way every night and I’ll always respect that.”
With the exception of Pascal Siakam and Nick Nurse, it’s hard to find anyone who has a better understanding of VanVleet’s NBA journey than DeMar DeRozan, who also was in Team LeBron’s locker room. DeRozan spent plenty of off-nights driving to Raptors 905 games and seeing what VanVleet and Siakam were evolving into with the work they were putting in at the G League level. Seeing VanVleet be a part of this weekend was a matter of time for DeRozan.
“I told him two months ago that he was gonna be an all-star so for me it’s not surprising,” DeRozan said. “I see it in him, I know how hard he works, I know what he does in the game, I know his impact on the game, it’s right that he’s sitting here.”
It’s who VanVleet has grown into as a man that hits DeRozan different. Seeing VanVleet be a father to his two kids makes DeRozan feel old, but it’s also a big part of what this weekend’s about. In the hustle and bustle of the NBA season, there’s not much time to be had with family at all, so, to have the family be a part of the experience and get the time with them that players who aren’t a part of this glamorous weekend do is priceless.
VanVleet considers himself a fairly boring person, someone who doesn’t get excited by too much. It’s no surprise that for all the hype that comes with the all-star weekend, all he wanted to do more than anything was play the Sunday showcase. Before getting set to lead the Raptors once again on Friday night in Charlotte, he plans to get away with his family for a few days and really unwind. So much of what VanVleet has accomplished is about the faith he’s always had in himself, but this all-star weekend and hopefully the ones to come are about cashing out the bets the ones in his circle have placed on him from Day 1.
“I don’t really do much for myself these days, other than when I put my feet in the sand, that’s like my treat to myself,” VanVleet said. “Other than that, a lot of this stuff is for them. I’ve got nieces and nephews, but obviously, my kids, they get to see me go through it. We don’t know in our family who’s gonna be the next person to go through these steps and stages of being NBA-level, let alone be an all-star, be a three-point contest participant. All this is for my family and the people I love and care about.”