By the looks of it, Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet has one powerful tattoo on his left shoulder.
VanVleet's shoulder tattoo is of a ladder going up to heaven, an extended hand, a dove for peace, and the phrase “always missed never forgotten.”
It's assumed that VanVleet is honoring a deceased family member.
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VanVleet's rise to NBA stardom has been fun to watch. After having a stellar four-year run at Wichita State, VanVleet entered the 2016 draft, only to go unselected. The Rockford, Illinois native didn't find a home until signing a multi-year contract with the Raptors on July 18, 2016.
In his first season in the NBA, VanVleet appeared in 37 games for the Raptors. He finished the 2016-17 season with averages of 2.9 points in 7.9 minutes per game. His big break came during the 2017-18 campaign when VanVleet's minutes increased to 20.0 per contest. He put up 8.6 points per game during the regular season and was starting to establish himself as a solid back up point guard in the NBA.
The 2018-19 season was one for the history books, not just for VanVleet, but for the Raptors as well. Led by Kawhi Leonard, Toronto won the 2019 championship over the Golden State Warriors in six games. It was the Raptors' first NBA title and Leonard became a Toronto legend in just one season.
However, the Raptors don't beat the Warriors without the sound play of VanVleet. After averaging 11.0 points and 4.8 assists during the 2018-19 regular season, VanVleet took his game to another level in the Finals against Stephen Curry and the Warriors. The combo guard averaged 14.0 points and 2.2 assists off the bench while shooting 40.0 percent from 3. VanVleet scored 22 points in Game 6 to help the Raptors close the series out in Golden State. It was a great moment for a player who many thought was too small to succeed at the NBA level.
Whenever the 2020 offseason period begins following the conclusion of the bubble games at Disney World, VanVleet is expected to get paid handsomely. The 26-year-old enters unrestricted free agency at the perfect time in his career. He's currently averaging a career-high 17.9 points per game on the season and recently scored 36 points against the Miami Heat at Disney World.
It will be interesting to see how much money Fred VanVleet gets this offseason and if he plans to use any of his newfound salary on any new tattoos. However, the Raptors first have to repeat as champions down in Orlando, Florida before getting ahead of themselves.
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