Fred VanVleet ‘proud, humbled, honoured’ to be an all-star, still chasing Kyle Lowry’s greatness

Fred VanVleet met with the media after being named an all-star for the first time on Thursday. He discussed what it meant to get the nod and how proud he was to be selected by the coaches. He mentioned his appreciation for DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, and his special relationship with Pascal Siakam.

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Video Transcript

FRED VANVLEET: I'm just proud, you know, humbled and honored to be selected, first and foremost. Obviously, you guys know how I feel about myself and kind of the will and confidence that I've had to have, you know, over the course of my life and my career. But to be recognized like that, you know, it's a special moment for me and my family and all the people that have been a part of the journey along the way. So, you know, I always try to be humble in these moments and show grace and just be thankful that I'm even, you know, in this position.

- Does it mean something that it comes from coaches? And I mean, it's not fans. It's not the media. It's people in the game. The coaches are--

FRED VANVLEET: That's what-- I mean, yeah, that's what I play for. I mean, I don't-- I never sought out to be a fan favorite. I certainly respect and admire the passion. And, obviously, the fans are a huge part of what we do in this business.

But, you know, I always sought out to be respected by my peers first and foremost, and, you know, the coaches right after that. So that one would have stung a little bit, you know, considering the season that I've had, if they wouldn't have picked me. But I could have lived with that, you know, that decision. So it definitely means a little bit more coming from them.

- When you reflect on your journey, whether that's-- in whatever moment you've had here tonight or even the last few days, as you looked ahead to this strong possibility, are there moments that stand out above the others? Like, are there one or two that you sort of just think back to right away and think, like, that's how far I've come?

FRED VANVLEET: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's really just one for me. Like, I know-- I don't even know if I've shared this publicly, but just-- I probably have-- just training camp as a undrafted rookie, staying over there in the Rosemont, and just literally, you know, being on my knees, praying before I went to bed to make the team. You know what I mean?

Like, every night, you know what I'm saying, just pouring out everything I got during practice and workouts and things like that and just praying that somebody would see that. And it's not really about, like, praying that I've done my job, you know what I mean? It's more so for the recognition because I've always believed in myself. But, you know, I've never had someone else believe me like this.

So that's the part that makes me nervous. That's the part that gives me butterflies. I was nervous all day today because I never know how somebody else is gonna perceive it. So that moment right there is just something that I just always circle back to. And it's a positive, you know, memory for me because, you know, I'm a man of faith. And just having those times where, you know, you're just by yourself, you know, just by yourself, and you got to get through those situations, and, you know, everything comes full circle.

- When you'd show up to camp in 2016 and you've got the three point guards ahead of you, how long did it take you to feel like you belonged? Was that something the moment you walk in?

FRED VANVLEET: I had a pretty good first day at camp. I had a pretty good first day at camp. Like, and summer league was an experience for me. I didn't play well. I didn't play like myself at all. But I had a pretty good first day at camp, and, you know, I felt pretty good about myself after that.

Again, it's just like you never know what they're looking for. I'm not even sure we needed a point guard at that time. But some of these things are just written before you even can go out there.

- Nick talks about you getting right up under Kyle, going full court right away. Is that what you're talking about when you have-- like a pretty good there-- there's something specifically.

FRED VANVLEET: Yeah, no, I was right at him, like, right away, you know what I mean? And I think, the first play, he baited me into a foul, you know, like he used to before they changed the rule, the little grab foul. I come down and score. You know, he score. I score. He score. I score.

It was like, you know, a couple of those in a row. And you could kind of see everybody in the gym like, OK, this kid can play a little bit. And, you know, it was on from there.

- How did you find out today?

FRED VANVLEET: The crowd, actually, believe it or not, whatever was left of the 500 strong out there.

- [INAUDIBLE] loud?

FRED VANVLEET: They were loud, and you can hear every conversation that's going on. So somebody started screaming, like, right before the anthem or something like that. And that was it.

I was waiting in the back. I was supposed to do a interview, and, you know, it just-- it was taking too long. So I was just like, all right. I'll go out there, warm up, and figure out after the fact.

- [INAUDIBLE] was the last name. It was alphabetical.

FRED VANVLEET: Yeah, yeah.

- Not where you wanted.

FRED VANVLEET: No, it hurts, but it's all good. It worked out.

- You had a little conversation with DeMar just before the tipoff. It was sort of special to be there with him again as his teammate, you know, the guy you sort of watched--

FRED VANVLEET: Absolutely.

- [INAUDIBLE]

FRED VANVLEET: Yeah, absolutely. Again, just, you know, some of these things, man, you couldn't write a better story, you know, for myself, personally, just the way I feel, and coming up under DeMar and Kyle and, you know, being able to share the floor with DeMar after he had, you know, a couple different seasons in San Antonio than he was accustomed to, seeing him back at the top of the conference.

And, you know, that was just me showing my appreciation and gratitude to him. And, you know, obviously, he's letting me know how proud of me he is and me just thanking him for his part in my journey.

- Did they ask you about the 3-point shot contest [INAUDIBLE]?

FRED VANVLEET: Yes. That'll be a conversation to figure out in the next couple days. I'm not committing either way.

- I mean, they want you, and you're gonna be there, so--

FRED VANVLEET: I didn't say that, Doug. You said that. It's a conversation-- ongoing conversation.

- But there's obviously a lot of parallels between the path that you and Pascal have been on since getting to the NBA. What was it like before the game? What was it like, when you found out, to share that moment with him?

FRED VANVLEET: Yeah, just him running over there, you know, giving me a hug during the warmups. Like, he started that whole little celebration. And, obviously, you know, me and Pascal have been through a little bit of everything together, coming in together, him taking his journey and him ascending really fast and us winning the championship and playing in the 905 together, and, obviously, his quote unquote "struggles" and just me trying to be there for him.

So we've kind of been through the ups and the downs of what this career can throw at you sometimes. And just for him to, you know, show that emotion and be proud of me in that moment, that means a lot to me. And, hopefully, we can get him in there on the injury replacement. I was hoping that we would get selected together tonight so we could share that moment.

But I don't know if you can keep him out of the game the way he's been playing. So, hopefully, we can get him in there.

- When you look at this locker room, as young as it is, what do you hope that guys like Champagnie and Yuta and all those guys take from this moment?

FRED VANVLEET: I think everybody kind of sees the undrafted thing and just, you know, they weren't here. So it's hard for them to see what that looked like back then. But, you know, they can hear the stories and things like that.

But one thing, you know, that I make sure is, you know, I show up every day. I do my job. I work extremely hard. I try to be coachable.

I try to be accountable. I try to be a good teammate, a good leader. And all of those things come way before anything else. And I just hope that they see that you can be rewarded, you know, for doing things the right way. And we got a lot of guys that have taken a unconventional path. And, you know, I just-- I've taken pride in kind of being an inspiration to many guys around the league and especially, you know, my own teammates.

- I'm sure it's been a whirlwind since you've taken your phone out. But have you heard from anybody or have you seen anything that's really meant something to you over the last, oh, 30, 40 minutes?

FRED VANVLEET: Yeah. I mean, again, family, friends, you know, there's certain things that I don't remember. This guy right here had a really good article. There was some stories in there. So thanks, Eric. That was awesome.

Just, you know, some things you forget, man. I'm so goal-oriented and just so locked in on what's next, and I never allow myself to get excited. I was yelling at my brother for congratulating me before the game. I just told him, like, it hadn't happened yet, you know. So I wasn't gonna allow myself to get excited about it.

So, yeah, there's just-- I'm going down memory lane, remembering some of the moments and things. There's not many people I haven't heard from yet. So now I got to try to get through all of these messages tonight. But it could be worse-- could be worse. I'll take it. I'm definitely feeling good and just thankful and blessed right now.

- [INAUDIBLE], was it hard to go from hearing that news to playing? Or was it all sort of [INAUDIBLE] fast?

FRED VANVLEET: No, not really, because, at that point, you're just trying to win the game, you know what I mean? Don't spoil the night. Don't spoil the night.

So I thought we played, you know, extremely hard. We played pretty good up until the fourth quarter when they made their runs, one of the best teams in the NBA this year. So we knew that was expected.

We've been winning some close games as of late, just building chemistry. Again, Scottie Barnes with the tip-in at the buzzer, Gary with a steal and a 3-- like, just those are growing moments for this young ball club. And I think that we can use this as a platform to continue to grow.

- How far would DeMar have to be outside the 3-point line before you wouldn't send a second?

FRED VANVLEET: Yeah, there's a couple of times I wanted to go and I didn't go and I should've went. And, after a while, I just got tired of watching him try to play one-on-one. I know OG is an incredible defender, but, you know, DeMar is one of the best in the league. So we'll make somebody else shoot it.

- Did you--

- Um-- sorry, go ahead.

- I was gonna say, did you see the stat that you're the fourth player-- fourth undrafted player in the modern era-- to make it after Starks, Brad Miller, and Ben Wallace?

FRED VANVLEET: Yeah, somebody texted me that. I just read that back there in the locker room. Again, just honored, man, just to be a part of these things.

And these are just dreams and goals that you have as a kid. And you put them on the wall, and you aim high, and you hope for the best. And, you know, sometimes you land on them. Sometimes you don't. It's not always pretty. It's not always easy.

But, again, I'm just blessed to be a part of the conversation. And it's just the beginning for me in year six. You know, I was preparing my speech if I didn't make it all day. So I don't really know what to say right now. I'm just enjoying the moment.

- Well, we're gonna take it in, [INAUDIBLE].

FRED VANVLEET: That's just the be-- no, this is just the beginning, man. It's like, you know, I don't plan on going anywhere, you know. And I know that being undrafted and being a older guy and all of those things, like, you get that stigma that there's, you know, not as much potential or room for growth.

But I got to get better because, you know, being an all-star means 21 and nine is just a bad night, you know, with two turnovers late and a couple of bad plays-- so just continue to grow, and I'll put high expectations on myself.

- When you see your team pointing out the [INAUDIBLE], the thing that matter that it's more of the fact that you guys could put them up. Do you feel like what you've been talking about and what you're trying to show [INAUDIBLE] is getting through to those [INAUDIBLE]?

FRED VANVLEET: Yeah, absolutely. I think, again, it's a maturity process more than anything with this team. And, you know, that's a weird thing because you can't really speed that process up, you know. It's just individual, and it's collective. And, you know, you have to go through certain moments and certain adversities to learn and grow.

And I think that this team is hitting that term where we're learning from some of the past mistakes that we've made in certain games. And guys are hitting their stride and getting better on the other side of COVID, getting healthy, things like that.

So we've played some playoff-level basketball in the last couple of weeks. Obviously, there's no fans here. So it's a little bit different. But we've played in some high-intensity games against some really good teams. And I'm proud of our resolve and the fight that we have. And we got a long way to go. You know, we could get a lot better. That's the good thing.

- Two questions for you on online, Fred. Go ahead, Nelson.

NELSON PARIS: Hi, Fred, Nelson Paris from Hispanic Source Media. I know you talked about what Kyle means to you. I don't know if you had a chance to see that he mentioned you in his postgame press conference, obviously, congratulating you. Can you just talk about, after this achievement, what Pascal-- what does he mean to you in terms of his leadership and just taking him-- like, taking you under his wing?

FRED VANVLEET: I mean, he showed me the blueprint. From day one, you know, I was right up under him, you know, on the court, off the court, trying to learn as much as I can. There was a-- we just have an incredible relationship. As much as I was being competitive and I wanted to be better than him-- and I still want to be better than him. I'm still chasing what he's done and his greatness.

But I just have a admiration and such a respect for him, who he is on and off the court. And he-- you know, the feeling is mutual, and he holds nothing back. He shares everything with me, good, bad, and the ugly. And it allows me to kind of have the answers to the test.

So it's my job to use what he's taught me and showed me along the way and apply that to my life and my career. And, obviously, you know, without all of those guys that I've learned from, you know, since I've been in the league, it would be hard for me to be sitting here today as an all-star. So I definitely owe a lot of my success to all of my vets that came before me that, you know, paved the way and also shared a lot of the game with me.

- Thank you.

- Last question from Nikki. Go ahead, Nikki.

- Hey, Fred, congratulations. I was just curious. Who was the first person that came to your mind when you found out about this that kind of maybe helped you on this journey?

FRED VANVLEET: Probably my kids, probably my kids, to be honest. I just keep thinking about how much trouble they're gonna get into in Cleveland if I'm trying to drag them around to media interviews and things like that. I just-- I'm not looking forward to it, because I know I got to take them. I can't leave them out as an all-star.

But just how much they inspire me every day to keep going and just that love, man. A kid's love is just different, especially at that age that they're at-- babies. And just I know my childhood, and, you know, the parents that I had in my life and the father figures that I had and my mother, obviously, how much they meant to me. So for me to kind of be that guy for my kids, you know, just-- that's probably what I'm most proud of.

- Do you think they'll understand what "Daddy" is an all-star" means?

FRED VANVLEET: No, but they've been calling me and sending me videos talking about going to Cleveland. So Mom is definitely putting the whispers in their ears already. So I can't tell my kids no. They get whatever they want.

- Well, they're going to Cleveland. All right.

FRED VANVLEET: I guess-- yeah, I guess so.

- Yeah. Thanks, Freddy.

FRED VANVLEET: Thanks, guys.