1 July 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Wichita State legend Fred VanVleet is a Toronto Raptor no longer.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday VanVleet has signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the Houston Rockets on the first day of the NBA’s free agency period.
VanVleet was instrumental in the Raptors 2019 NBA Finals win over the Golden State Warriors. That season, he averaged 11 points and 6.6 assists per game.
His best season came in the 2021-2022 season. He averaged 20.3 points per game on 40% shooting to go along with 6.7 assists per game.
While at Wichita State, VanVleet became the career leader in assists and steals. He helped the Shockers to three Missouri Valley Conference titles and nine NCAA tournament wins in four trips.
One of those trips was in 2013, when the Shockers defied odds and made a run all the way to the Final Four. He tied the school record for total wins with 120 total, posting 30-win seasons in 2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015.
VanVleet — along with Ron Baker — appeared in more NCAA Tournament games than any player in program history.
After finishing his career at Wichita State, VanVleet bet on himself and became an undrafted free agent with the Raptors and played in the NBA Summer League. Shortly after, he signed a multi-year contract with the team.