183 Miracle! The strongest undraft! From the street to Mr. Billionaire!

"Why do you feel dissatisfied? You have never experienced my experience. For me, everything is an extra gain. Every day and every penny I earn is God's preference..."

This passage comes from the Rockets' main point guard Van Vleet.

5 years old, he should have been a playful and carefree age, but VanVleet's childhood is full of shadows. The gunshots on the street and the scene of his father lying in a pool of blood, these horrifying memories are deeply imprinted in his heart. Since that day, he has never seen his father again. The misfortune of the family made life in poverty even more difficult. Mother Sue VanVleet shoulders the responsibility of raising two children, while VanVleet gradually understands that their relatives and friends are either dead or imprisoned.

"Many children who grew up with me failed to survive high school. Whenever I stepped onto the court, I would treat every game as a farewell battle and give my all."

The hardships of childhood allowed him to forge a mature mind and fearless fighting spirit. This big heart later became the foundation for him to establish himself in the NBA.

My father was a storied figure in the school team. What he inherited to Van Vleet was not only fragmentary memories, but also basketball talent. His performance in training camp made his stepfather notice this talented teenager and gradually formed a new family. His stepfather was a retired military officer and strictly disciplined Van Vleet, especially basketball training, and implemented military management. For fixed work and rest, fixed training subjects, you need to practice for half an hour for every unfinished task.

Under such management, VanVleet's technology and body size have improved rapidly, and he also learned to act as a mediator in complex families and handle the relationship between mother, stepfather and brother well.

Under the supervision of his stepfather, Van Vleet received a university scholarship and officially stepped out of the violent neighborhood. In the NCAA arena, he was selected as the Missouri Valley League's Best Player for two consecutive years with outstanding performances and was selected as the All-American and All-Defensive Team for three consecutive years. In his best year, he was also selected into the third team of the All-American All-American team, laying the foundation for challenging the NBA.

On the 2016 draft day, family and relatives gathered around him, looking forward to the moment he was selected. However, his name is still not on the TV screen. The moment he lost the election, Van Vleet lowered his head and his eyes were filled with tears, but after a moment, he smiled and said to the people around him: "It's okay, this is just the beginning, I still have a chance." A few days later, he received the invitation from the Raptors' Summer League, averaging 6 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in five games, with mediocre data, but he successfully pried open the NBA's crack. The Raptors have issued a two-year contract of 1.45 million, with partial guarantees in the first year and no guarantees in the second year.

On November 10, 2017, Van Vleet stepped into the NBA Arena. The chances are limited, and he uses every training to sharpen his minions.

Some people say he is not tall enough? He made great efforts to shoot long-range shots, and his three-point shooting percentage increased to 41.4% in the second season;

Some people say that his vision is limited? He reduces high-risk passes, ranking sixth in the league in assists and turnovers ratio of 3.69;

Some people say that his defense is not strong? He used strength and tenacity to make up for his disadvantages, and his personal defense was in the top ten in the same position all year round.

The growth of the undraft is often not paid attention to, but VanVleet proves himself with his actions. When he boldly claimed to replace Lowry as the core of the Raptors' backcourt, the outside world was not optimistic.

In the second round of the 2019 Eastern Conference playoffs, he scored only 14 points in seven games, and he was even taunted by Van Jordan by the nation. However, a few days later, he broke out in the Battle of Tianwang Mountain in the Eastern Conference Finals, making 7 of 9 shots from outside the three-point line, scoring the team's second highest 21 points, helping the Raptors get match points. In the sixth game, he continued to be brave, with 4 of 5 three-pointers and a maximum of +12 in the game, becoming the Raptors' absolute hero to win the Eastern Conference. In the finals, Van Jordan continued to be in a hot state, averaging 14 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2 assists in six games, averaging 2.7 three-pointers, shooting percentage of 44% and three-point shooting percentage of 40%. In the final game, he scored 22 points with injuries, completely extinguishing the Warriors' suspense.

When the final whistle sounded, Van Jordan, who was holding the championship trophy, turned his former ridicule into glory, and even grabbed a FMVP vote from Leonard.

After that, Van Vleet opened the Ren and Du meridians in one fell swoop. In the 2019-20 season, he replaced Lowry as the starting point guard, averaging 19.6 points, 6.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game, and signed a five-year contract with the Raptors. In the 2020-21 season, he was selected as the All-Star with an average of 20.3 points, 6.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game, becoming the fifth All-Star in NBA history to be selected as the fifth All-Star in NBA history.

In the summer of 2023, Van Jordan signed a three-year contract of 130 million yuan with the Rockets, becoming the first undraft in NBA history to sign a contract of 100 million yuan. Despite the constant doubts, he still responded with his performance: he led the young Rockets to the second place in the Western Conference in the 2024-25 season. Although he was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, he averaged 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 43.5%.

Van Jordan's story is inspiring: from the gunshots of childhood to the death of his biological father, from the failure of the talent show to the ridicule of the entire network, every scar has been polished into a ladder by him.

From an unsecured contract to a billion yuan worth, this 1.83-meter-long little man, using each game as the last game, wrote the ultimate legend of grassroots counterattack.

And fans will always remember the glorious journey of this undrafted draft with blood and tears and steel will.