# Fred VanVleet
**Fred VanVleet** (born 1994) is an American professional basketball player, a 6-foot point guard for the [Houston Rockets](https://www.edgepedia.org/houston-rockets) of the NBA who went undrafted in 2016, won a championship with the [Toronto Raptors](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-raptors) in 2019, and later became the highest-paid undrafted player in league history on a $130 million contract.[1](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1627832/traditional) • [2](https://as.com/baloncesto/contrato-para-la-historia-185-millones-de-dolares-para-austin-reaves-f202606-n/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / physical | 1994, Rockford, Illinois; 6'0" (1.83 m), 213 lb (97 kg)[1](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1627832/traditional) • [3](https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/fred-vanvleet/2561) |
| Draft status | Undrafted in 2016; signed a multi-year contract with Toronto after Summer League[4](https://goshockers.com/news/2016/7/18/mens-basketball-vanvleet-signs-multi-year-deal-with-raptors.aspx) |
| Championship | 2019 NBA title with the Raptors; received one Finals MVP vote (11 voters total)[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-stat-game-6) |
| Career scoring high | 54 points at Orlando on February 2, 2021, the most by an undrafted player in NBA history[6](https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/rockets.pdf) |
| Houston contract | Three-year, $130 million deal signed in 2023, then the largest ever for an undrafted player[2](https://as.com/baloncesto/contrato-para-la-historia-185-millones-de-dolares-para-austin-reaves-f202606-n/) |
| Career averages | 14.9 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds over 550 regular-season games through 2024-25[7](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/player/fred-vanvleet-9547) |
| Union role | President of the National Basketball Players Association[8](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/05/adam-silver-nba-playoffs-tanking/686918/) |
## College career at Wichita State
VanVleet played four seasons at Wichita State from 2012 to 2016 and finished as the program's all-time leader in assists (637), steals (225), and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.08).[3](https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/fred-vanvleet/2561) As a key reserve on the 2013 Final Four team, he moved into the starting point guard role as a sophomore and led the Shockers through a 35-0 start to the 2013-14 season, the first undefeated regular-season run of that length in NCAA history, with the team ranked as high as No. 2 nationally.[3](https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/fred-vanvleet/2561) • [9](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/toronto-raptors/news/toronto-raptors-fred-vanvleet-journey-from-undrafted-to-nba-finals-x-factor/14c91u0vhed15140n85mf6n3qv)
**Honors and team success.** He won the Larry Bird Trophy as Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year twice (2014 and 2016), made three straight All-MVC first teams and three MVC All-Defensive teams, and was a two-time Bob Cousy Award finalist. Wichita State won 120 games across his four seasons, with 30-win campaigns in 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2014-15, three MVC regular-season titles, and nine NCAA Tournament wins in four appearances.[3](https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/fred-vanvleet/2561) He scored 1,439 career points, 15th on the school's list, and recorded the school's first triple-double in over four decades, a 10-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist game against Missouri State on February 7, 2015, in just 24 minutes.[3](https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/fred-vanvleet/2561)
## Toronto Raptors (2016-2023)
After going undrafted in June 2016, VanVleet joined the Raptors' Las Vegas Summer League team and signed a multi-year contract that July.[4](https://goshockers.com/news/2016/7/18/mens-basketball-vanvleet-signs-multi-year-deal-with-raptors.aspx) Minutes were scarce as a rookie, and he developed with [Raptors 905](https://www.edgepedia.org/raptors-905) in the G League, helping that team go 39-11 and win a G League championship before earning a rotation spot in his second season, when he appeared in 76 of 82 games off the bench.[10](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/get-to-know-toronto-raptors-fred-vanvleet/1xp2fovv9yv1z1b0v2z7l5dm0a)
**2019 championship.** VanVleet was a key piece of Toronto's 2019 title run. In Game 6 of the [NBA Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-finals) against Golden State he scored 22 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, as the Raptors won their first championship; [Kawhi Leonard](https://www.edgepedia.org/kawhi-leonard) took Finals MVP with 10 of 11 votes, and VanVleet received the other.[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-stat-game-6) • [11](https://time.com/5607127/nba-finals-canada-toronto-raptors/) During the series he also drew the defensive assignment of chasing [Stephen Curry](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-curry) when Toronto used a box-and-1 scheme.[12](https://api-hub-uat.nba.com/news/free-agent-film-study-fred-vanvleet)
**Star turn.** He scored a career-high 34 points in the championship-ring opener in October 2019, and his 54-point game at Orlando on February 2, 2021 stands as the highest single-game total by an undrafted player in NBA history.[13](https://www.axios.com/2019/10/23/nba-lakers-clippers-raptors-openers) • [6](https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/rockets.pdf) In 2021-22 he was named an All-Star, averaging career highs of 22.0 points, 6.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game.[10](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/get-to-know-toronto-raptors-fred-vanvleet/1xp2fovv9yv1z1b0v2z7l5dm0a)
## Houston Rockets (2023-present)
In July 2023 VanVleet signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the Rockets, at the time the largest deal ever given to an undrafted player; the mark stood until [Austin Reaves](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-reaves) surpassed it with a $185 million extension in June 2026.[2](https://as.com/baloncesto/contrato-para-la-historia-185-millones-de-dolares-para-austin-reaves-f202606-n/) Houston signed him for leadership and an upgrade at point guard, and he started 60 games in 2024-25, averaging 14.1 points and 5.6 assists in about 35 minutes per game.[14](https://nbcsports.brightspotcdn.com/03/10/b09f526442aab7ad4db7ba3584ed/rotoworld-2024-25-fantasy-basketball-kit.pdf) • [15](https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2025_advanced.html)
**Knee injury.** In September 2025, days before training camp, VanVleet tore the ACL in his right knee, an injury that could have kept him out for the entire 2025-26 season.[16](https://www.theringer.com/2025/09/24/nba/reed-sheppard-amen-thompson-houston-rockets-fred-vanvleet-injury-acl) • [17](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/fred-vanvlett-se-rompe-el-ligamento-cruzado-de-la-rodilla-n/) In June 2026 he exercised his $25 million player option for 2026-27.[18](https://www.nba.com/bulls/player/1627832/fred-vanvleet)
## NBPA presidency
VanVleet was elected president of the National Basketball Players Association, and in July 2025 he opened his address to players in Las Vegas with a warning to the league's coaches, executives, and owners not to damage the game, a moment reported amid broader labor and competitive-balance tensions.[8](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/05/adam-silver-nba-playoffs-tanking/686918/) As of early 2026 the union's executive committee also included first vice president Grant Williams and secretary-treasurer [Mason Plumlee](https://www.edgepedia.org/mason-plumlee).[19](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/aldama-asume-una-de-las-vicepresidencias-del-sindicato-de-jugadores-de-la-nba-f202602-n/)
## Playing style
VanVleet's game is built on shooting and decision-making rather than athleticism. In 2019-20 he ranked near the top of the league in catch-and-shoot three-point percentage while shooting 32.7% on pull-up threes, and in Houston he was the team's most reliable passer from the paint in the pick-and-roll, creating a spot-up look on 43% of his tilted-defense possessions with roughly 42% of those attempts made.[12](https://api-hub-uat.nba.com/news/free-agent-film-study-fred-vanvleet) • [16](https://www.theringer.com/2025/09/24/nba/reed-sheppard-amen-thompson-houston-rockets-fred-vanvleet-injury-acl) His career arc, from unheralded recruit to All-American at a mid-major, undrafted rookie to champion, has made him a recurring reference point for overlooked players.[8](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/05/adam-silver-nba-playoffs-tanking/686918/)
## References
1. [Fred VanVleet profile, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1627832/traditional)
2. [Contrato para la historia: 185 millones de dólares para Austin Reaves, AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/contrato-para-la-historia-185-millones-de-dolares-para-austin-reaves-f202606-n/)
3. [Fred VanVleet, Men's Basketball roster bio, Wichita State Athletics](https://goshockers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/fred-vanvleet/2561)
4. [VanVleet Signs Multi-Year Deal with Raptors, Wichita State Athletics](https://goshockers.com/news/2016/7/18/mens-basketball-vanvleet-signs-multi-year-deal-with-raptors.aspx)
5. [The Finals Stat, Game 6: Fred VanVleet shoots Raptors to first title, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-stat-game-6)
6. [Houston Rockets game notes, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/rockets.pdf)
7. [Fred VanVleet, StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/player/fred-vanvleet-9547)
8. [Adam Silver Goes to War, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/05/adam-silver-nba-playoffs-tanking/686918/)
9. [Back to School: Fred VanVleet's journey, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/toronto-raptors/news/toronto-raptors-fred-vanvleet-journey-from-undrafted-to-nba-finals-x-factor/14c91u0vhed15140n85mf6n3qv)
10. [Get To Know: Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/get-to-know-toronto-raptors-fred-vanvleet/1xp2fovv9yv1z1b0v2z7l5dm0a)
11. [Canada Clinches Its First NBA Title, TIME](https://time.com/5607127/nba-finals-canada-toronto-raptors/)
12. [Free Agent Film Study: Fred VanVleet, NBA.com](https://api-hub-uat.nba.com/news/free-agent-film-study-fred-vanvleet)
13. [NBA Recap: Clippers best Lakers while Raptors top Pelicans, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2019/10/23/nba-lakers-clippers-raptors-openers)
14. [Rotoworld 2024-25 Fantasy Basketball Kit, NBC Sports](https://nbcsports.brightspotcdn.com/03/10/b09f526442aab7ad4db7ba3584ed/rotoworld-2024-25-fantasy-basketball-kit.pdf)
15. [2024-25 NBA Player Stats: Advanced, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2025_advanced.html)
16. [Can the Houston Rockets Fill the Fred VanVoid?, The Ringer](https://www.theringer.com/2025/09/24/nba/reed-sheppard-amen-thompson-houston-rockets-fred-vanvleet-injury-acl)
17. [Fred VanVleet se rompe el ligamento cruzado de la rodilla, AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/fred-vanvlett-se-rompe-el-ligamento-cruzado-de-la-rodilla-n/)
18. [Fred VanVleet News, Chicago Bulls (NBA.com)](https://www.nba.com/bulls/player/1627832/fred-vanvleet)
19. [Aldama asume una de las vicepresidencias del sindicato de jugadores de la NBA, AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/aldama-asume-una-de-las-vicepresidencias-del-sindicato-de-jugadores-de-la-nba-f202602-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › Current NBA players › Point guards*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license