Q&A: Raptors’ VanVleet discusses ‘horrible’ process of becoming an NBA prospect

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity

Father, NBA champion, NBA all-star, entrepreneur. Raptors’ Fred VanVleet has been betting on himself and helping lift those around him.

VanVleet is in his second year as an ambassador for American Express Canada’s Blueprint: Backing BIPOC Businesses™. It’s a mentorship and grant program designed to support the advancement of 100 business owners who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour (BIPOC) across Canada.

CityNews’ Sports Reporter Lindsay Dunn spoke with VanVleet about his experience as an entrepreneur, life since the Raptors season ended, what it’s really like to go through the NBA Draft project, and his possible love of the kid show Paw Patrol.

Lindsay Dunn (LD): Hey Fred, always great to speak with you, first things first, how long did ‘Vacation Freddy’ last?

Fred VanVleet (FV): How long did vacation Freddy last for? Maybe like two weeks. We took a nice trip as a family. I got to enjoy home for a couple of days, and then I got bored really fast, so I had to get back to it. There is not too much lounging, being hurt at the end of the season definitely played a role in that, so I was excited to try to get back to work.

LD: Off the court, you’re always busy and you’re back for a second year as an ambassador for the Blueprint program. Talking about the Blueprint program, as an entrepreneur yourself, what has it been like watching the impact of this program on the community?

FV: We did it out of passion in the first year and because of COVID we were just trying to help the community. And then we saw how successful it was. 94 per cent of the people said it was significant or vital to their business and one-third of the participants introduced new products or hired somebody new or something like that. So, it was successful and so we want to bring it back, allocating $1,000,000 across 100 different business entrepreneurs and also offering mentorship one on one access to experts in their field and small group workshops.

LD: It’s an incredible program. And I was actually able to meet three of the participants from last year’s campaign, and you can see how much it impacted them on a personal level and a business level. You have your own business portfolio you have been working on over the years, from your own company to companies you are investing in. What have been some of the learning curves for you as an entrepreneur?

FV: Well, you can’t skip the mistakes for sure. You try to study and you try to have mentors and people to guide you along the way but, you’re going to make mistakes and it’s not like basketball where, you know, it’s so easy and second nature to me and when I make a mistake I know how to fix it. Sometimes you hit walls and you hit certain things that slow you down, but you just got to keep pushing. I speak from a privileged position having been in the NBA, but there are a lot of people that don’t have the same opportunities as me. So I think it’s important to reach back out and try to help those.

https://t.co/okMQZcMQos ???????? June 23-26, 2022 pic.twitter.com/xfBCt4PXhO

— Fred VanVleet (@FredVanVleet) May 26, 2022

LD: Next week is a big week for you, Fred. It’s the Fred VanVleet Fest in your hometown of Rockford, Illinois. It starts off with a bowling event, what’s your bowling skill level like? Are you out there bowling Turkeys?

FV: [laughs] I’m very competitive, but I definitely need to go to the bowling alley to brush up on my skills before next week. So I’m probably going to go practice over the next couple of days and try to get my game right. I just want to do something different for the community and get everybody out and just get that love back in the air. We desperately need that right now.

LD: Part of the weekend is a basketball summer camp too.

Kids are so impressionable and I just remember being at that age, I can vividly remember some of the basketball camps I went to and some of the coaches and players that I was able to learn from and just see and just to stand next to. You can change a kid’s life in a small amount of time, and I just like to try to be that positive influence. They watch me, they will see me on TV, they follow me online and just to be there and be able to share some words of encouragement or teach a couple of drills or just give them one thing that they could take away from the weekend or, you know, experience. I think that that will go a long way for a lot of kids, and that means a lot to me.

LD: Any Raptors fan, most NBA fans know your story of going undrafted, becoming an all-star, and helping the Raptors win their first NBA title. The NBA Draft is coming up and I’ve seen a number of draft prospects make their way through the OVO Athletic Centre over the last few weeks. Do you remember anything from that process? Because in all honesty, it does not seem like the most enjoyable experience.

FV: No, it’s horrible. It’s horrible. I did 18 draft workouts in 30 days. I didn’t get invited to the Draft Combine, so I had to do my combine test 18 times. So that’s running, sprinting, and getting measured for wingspan, height, and weight, and then you got to play. So yeah, it’s a terrible experience. But, you know, the guys are so hungry and so excited about getting an opportunity to play in the NBA and this is just, you know, the rite of passage in a ritual that you have to go through to get there.

I definitely wasted my time because I didn’t get drafted anyway, but it was an experience that made me a lot tougher and more hungry.