Fred VanVleet didn’t grow up among basketball’s young stars.
He was an underdog on the outside looking in, developing himself into an NBA star through sheer will and hard work.
So the Toronto Raptors guard said to see his name among USA Basketball’s pool of players for the Tokyo Olympics was a “big honour.”
“It’s a nod of respect to be thought about for that pool of players to represent your country,” VanVleet said Thursday.
“It’s going to take some time to wrap my head around that one. I’ve never been a part of that type of environment.