“Bet on yourself.”
Those three iconic words have been the motto of Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet since the 2016 NBA draft and he echoed them at a virtual event presented by the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) and the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) on Thursday.
VanVleet said he knew basketball was his passion in life from a young age.
“As early as I can remember, about five years old, I was playing [basketball],” VanVleet said. “My mom and my granddad were my first coaches.”
VanVleet said he played youth basketball at a community centre and fell more in love with the game as he got better.
The Raptors star, who is from Rockford, Ill.—a mid-sized town in the shadow of Chicago—said getting national recognition was tough, despite his talent.
“I didn’t really go play for any big-name AAU teams. I stayed with my hometown team with my friends,” VanVleet said. “We did well, but it was hard to get the eyes on us. It was hard to get schools out to Rockford.”
However, looking back, VanVleet said playing for a smaller school helped his career in the long run.
“It was what I needed it to be, which was having schools that actually wanted me and would give me an opportunity to play at,” he said.
When he entered the 2016 NBA draft, VanVleet was one of the best players in the country and had left Wichita State, his alma mater, as one of the strongest players in program history. But VanVleet went undrafted.
“I knew I was one of the best players in the country,” VanVleet said. “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 it might not happen.”
Despite the realization, VanVleet said he had already planned a draft party and still wanted to celebrate the end of one chapter of his life.
“I sat there the whole time with a good idea that I wasn’t going to get drafted,” he added.
VanVleet’s iconic catchphrase—“bet on yourself”— was born on draft night.
“My agent [and I] were going through all my options after I wasn’t picked and we ended up picking Toronto,” VanVleet said. “He said those three words to me out loud and when he said it, it was kind of like a movie. I had an epiphany where everything hit me at once. I’ve always had that mentality but never put it into words.”
VanVleet tweeted the phrase out later that night and has been using it as his motto ever since.
Bet on yourself
— Fred VanVleet (@FredVanVleet) June 24, 2016
Despite not hearing his name get called on the big stage, VanVleet said he knew it wasn’t the end of the road. It was not a reason to give up.
“There are a lot of ways to get to the NBA,” VanVleet said. “Luckily, I had the levelheadedness to think long-term and not be so caught up in the moment. I just stuck it out and was able to make it work in the long run.”
VanVleet said he went through a similar experience when playing in the G League with the Raptors 905. He said he knew he was good enough to play in the NBA but had to wait his turn.
VanVleet said he knew his attitude was just as important as what he did on the court, so he decided to let his play prove that he deserved to be in the NBA.
Like many others, VanVleet has faced a lot of setbacks in his life. He said he believes his setbacks motivate him to be better.
“For me, it’s always more so about how you handle adversity. Feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t really help because life goes on,” he said.
As for betting on himself, VanVleet has certainly found success in the NBA. He won an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019 and averaged 19.6 points per game in 2020-21, including a 54-point performance on Feb. 2, the most single-game points in franchise history.
VanVleet has also turned his motto into a brand. He’s launched an online store and merchandise shop called FVV Shop, which he started for his friends and family but has since gone worldwide.
“Be patient. Everybody wants everything all at once. It doesn’t work that way,” VanVleet said. “You have to stay patient and not give up. The guy that stays in the fight the longest wins.”
Featured image from screenshot.
