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The 113 kids from Rockford, Illinois, were spent and restless from a long and glorious day as they waited to say hello to their hometown hero. And when Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet finally arrived after their game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, the kids, ranging in age from elementary to high school, got a jolt of energy, yelled and screamed, “Fred!” Before climbing into the stands to take a group photo, a beaming VanVleet proudly looked at his mother, Susan Danforth, and said, “These are my kids.” “[Rockford] is the city and the community that made me who I am as a person,” VanVleet told Andscape. “It has afforded me all this success and all these things I get to do. This is payback for me. Also, the older I get I’m starting to see the generations that are coming up under me and the impact we’ve been able to have.”
It's always a fun homecoming for the fans of Rockford native and now NBA Free Agent Fred Van Vleet when he puts on his annual Fred Van Vleet fest. The weekend-long event kicked off on Friday Night during the FVV Fest Block Party. On Saturday, it was the kids turn to have some fun as over 100 area kids got the chance to hit the court at Fred's Alma Mater, Auburn High School, and learn from the NBA Champ along with some special guests as well.
Fred VanVleet continues to do things no one else from Rockford has ever done. And here are two more: A documentary on VanVleet was released this winter, and he was also named one of the five finalists for the NBA’s second annual Social Justice Champion award, which comes with a trophy named after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
VanVleet’s charity activities in Rockford include annual turkey giveaways for Thanksgiving and handing out back-to-school supplies. He also has give-backs in Wichita, where he starred in college, and his NBA home of Toronto. He passed out more than 1,000 backpacks to underprivileged kids in Toronto last year ago. He also started the Fred VanVleet Scholarship Fund to provide full academic scholarships to Black or indigenous students who pursue a college degree in Canada.
Summer weekends in Rockford are typically reserved for outdoor activities, but you might want to spend some times indoors one weekend in June. The Fred VanVleet Fest and youth camp will be returning to Auburn High School the week of June 23-26. New this year will be a Thursday evening Bet On Yourself bowling event at the Cherry Bowl. Guests will enjoy cosmic bowling, prizes and music.
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But that wasn’t VanVleet’s story in Rockford. He was the best player his age for miles around. He played significant minutes as a freshman on a varsity team positioned to make a run at a state championship. He was installed as the starting point guard in Grade 10 and was widely held to be the next big thing in local basketball. His cup was filled to the brim with swagger, and then some. “I remember Fred was in middle school,” recalls JD Danforth, “and one of our friends was just asking who [Fred] thought he was better than, just around Rockford. And every time he brought up someone Fred would say: ‘I’m better than him. I’m easily better than him. I could beat him.’ So, then my friend started bringing up NBA players. He was like, ‘Now, are you better than such-and-such?’ And Fred was like, ‘Yeah. I’m better than him right now.’ ‘How about Iverson? Can you beat Allen Iverson?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I could beat Allen Iverson. … I guarantee you I could beat Allen Iverson.’
Fred VanVleet played the Golden State Warriors Sunday night, but he still wanted to make sure some Rockford families could cook up a golden turkey. He was not in the “Forest City” Sunday, but the CEO of FVV Shop, 328 E State St, said 500 turkeys were given away at their store. The turkeys also came with macaroni, corn and green beans.
Rockford’s greatest basketball player Fred VanVleet gave a memorable shout-out to his hometown after an on-court interview just after winning last year’s NBA title with the Toronto Raptors. And that “Rockford! Rockford! It’s for you, baby!” TV shoutout is now captured on the latest VanVleet bobblehead produced by The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with VanVleet’s FVV Shop.
Nearly a month after winning the NBA Championship with the Toronto Raptors, the celebration has not stopped in Rockford for Fred VanVleet. Friday, the party continued with the third annual FVV Fan Fest. This year's fest had a bit of a surprise from the Auburn grad, as VanVleet entered the gym at the UW Health Sports Factory with the Larry O'Brien Trophy in hand.
Fred VanVleet will always be remembered in Toronto for his outstanding performances during the 2019 NBA Finals, but he also received a hero’s welcome in his hometown of Rockford, Illinois. The Raptors guard was presented with the keys to the city by Mayor Tom McNamara.
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The Rockford Area Conventions & Visitors Bureau announced plans for the Fred VanVleet celebration taking place downtown Rockford on Saturday, June 29. At 1:30 p.m. Saturday, resident are encouraged to gather at Rockford City Hall, at 425 E State Street, to “Dribble the City.” Participants are asked to bring their own basketballs to dribble toward the City Market Pavilion, at Water Street &, Market Streets.
Jurassic Parks have sprouted up all across Canada, but the one that means the most to Fred VanVleet is the one in his hometown of Rockford, Ill. Upwards of 3,500 citizens stuffed into Market Pavilion to watch the Toronto Raptors battle the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and another capacity crowd is anticipated for Game 6. And while VanVleet is training some 2,100 miles away in the Bay Area, his heart will be with the people that raised him.
More than 3,500 people decided to forego the comfort of their own homes or even one of the dozens of bars and restaurants having NBA finals viewing parties to elbow for viewing room in Rockford’s version of Jurassic Park Monday night. The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau organized the community watch party at the City Market Pavilion for Game 5 of the NBA finals. The goal was to give the Rock River Valley a larger venue to celebrate Rockford native Fred VanVleet’s chance to win a world championship with the Toronto Raptors.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said he wasn’t surprised Rockford’s Jurassic Park filled up so quickly and was so loud. “Fred is just such a great ambassador for Rockford. He puts a lot of time in here. I knew people would come out to celebrate this moment.” Groh said Rockford’s Jurassic Park will be open for Game 6 on Thursday and, if necessary, for Game 7 on Sunday.
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