For most NBA players, winning a title is their toughest achievement. Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet acknowledges the difficult journey he had to go through to win his first title. But if he's concerned, winning the Larry O'Brien trophy is not the most difficult milestone he attained.
VanVleet appeared on the JJ Redick podcast where he discussed anything and everything basketball. One of the questions that Redick asked is if the 2019 NBA title is the toughest achievement of his career. VanVleet's answer was pretty surprising:
“Basketball wise not even close, but like mentally and physically, yes for sure.”
Unfortunately, VanVleet didn't reveal what his toughest achievement is. Almost everyone knows that VanVleet was an undrafted prospect and had to work his way through the G League to make it to the NBA. That alone is a pretty long and arduous journey.
Back in college, VanVleet had a great career with Wichita State. Perhaps one of the highlights of his college years came during his senior year. After coming back from hamstring and ankle issues, he helped Wichita win over elite teams Evansville and Southern Illinois.
Note that the Shockers missed VanVleet's services at the beginning of the season. They fell to a 2-4 record — one of the worst starts in team history. VanVleet eventually led them to the First Four round where they beat Vanderbilt and Arizona, before being ousted by Miami in the second round.
VanVleet also pointed out how the Raptors' chemistry became critical every step of the way:
“The best thing that helped us was that our chemistry was so tight. When the lows were low, we could talk to each other. When the highs were high, we had Kawhi who was super chill, so nobody ever got excited. And Kyle who was like, ‘Don’t celebrate. We haven’t done anything yet.'”
Fred VanVleet is definitely one of the best success stories in the NBA.
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