Fred VanVleet made his much-awaited return from his ACL injury on Wednesday, as the Houston Rockets hosted the Dallas Mavericks at Toyota Center.
It did not take long for VanVleet to drain his first bucket after being sidelined for more than 500 days, hitting a three-pointer at the 8:55 mark of the opening quarter to tie the score at 5-5.
Article Continues BelowFRED VANVLEET IS BACK!!
FVV gets his first NBA bucket in 535 days to fall with this three 🎯😤 pic.twitter.com/Ao3nCu1j8U
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 22, 2026
The veteran guard suffered the ACL injury in the preseason in 2025. Despite his absence, the Rockets, led by Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, finished with a 52-30 record and qualified for the playoffs. They, however, lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.
As of this writing, the Rockets are leading the Mavericks in the second quarter. VanVleet has three points and two assists in eight minutes.