Former BYU star and Naismith Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette is retiring from basketball.
The 36-year-old, who most recently played for Team USA’s 3×3 team in last year’s Olympics, once led the Cougars to the Sweet 16 while averaging almost 29 points per game.
“I owe a lot of who I am today to this game and it’s not easy to say goodbye as a player,” he said. “But the time has come. I’m excited for what’s next in life.”
Fredette last played professionally in 2020-21 with the Shanghai Sharks in China.
Fredette will be best known for his college days, when he captivated the sport with his scoring outbursts. He scored 52 points in a game and tallied more than 1,000 points in a single season. He had six 40-point games and 24 nights with 30 points or more. Hysteria — dubbed “Jimmermania” — followed him everywhere as BYU sold out nightly.
In his senior season, BYU looked ready to make a Final Four run when it was 27-2. But BYU’s season was cut short, losing to Florida during the second weekend of the tournament.
Fredette was selected 10th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by Sacramento. He bounced around in the NBA but never truly found his footing in the league. He spent a few seasons with the Kings, Pelicans, Bulls and Suns. He was a G League player in the New York Knicks organization. He finished his career averaging 6 points per game over 241 NBA appearances.
The most fruitful years of his professional career came overseas, where he was the Sharks’ all-time leader in three-point makes. In his four seasons in China, he averaged nearly 37 points per game three times. His last season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fredette ended his career in an offshoot of the sport, playing for Team USA’s 3×3 squad in the 2024 Olympics. He was Team USA’s best player, but suffered an injury in the Paris games and the team did not medal.
Fredette is yet to have his jersey retired at BYU, but will be eligible for the honor next year. BYU has a 15-year waiting period to retire a jersey.
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