Promised for a great future after unleashing passions for four years at BYU (2007-2011) with his qualities as an outside shooter, Jimmer Fredette will have crossed the NBA like a shooting star, but without managing to shine in the biggest league in the world.
After a difficult start in Sacramento (2011-2014), he never managed to find his place, having to settle for parts of matches and small roles during his successive visits to Chicago, New Orleans and New York . There was then the Shanghai Sharks parenthesis, where he regained his splendor for three years before trying his luck in the NBA again, at the Suns in 2018/19, again without managing to impose himself.
A passion put to the test
Now 34 years old, the shooting guard looked back on a time when he struggled to make the transition from college basketball, where he was a rising star, to the NBA.
His arrival in Sacramento, in a difficult context within a franchise undergoing restructuring, will not have facilitated his integration.
“It was such a different time for me, coming into the NBA. There was the adaptation to the game, but also the fact that they were trying to sell the team. The owner was absent, my coach was fired two weeks after the start of the season. So I took a lot in immediately, as did the whole team. I had to quickly learn that it was a business and not a university. It’s the NBA. You have to adapt and be able to do it constantly”, he thus recalled.
Among his regrets is that of having quickly lost his love for basketball, when what was his passion suddenly became a job, ultimately with more constraints and frustration than pleasure.
“It’s clear that there are times when we see the game more as a business than as the game that was the love of our whole life, when we were children. There are a lot of things that come into play. Whether it’s training, money, contracts or being kicked off a team. It’s a really tough league. But at the same time, once you’re on the pitch, it’s the same thing. It’s basketball, and it’s about competing at the highest level. Being able to do that and play against the best players of all time was an incredible experience. It’s something I never thought I’d be able to do as a small town kid, but I was able to make that dream come true. I hope I can inspire other kids who want to do the same thing.”
One last challenge to take on
The fact of trying to fit into a mold that did not conform to his game, according to the wishes of his various coaches, also contributed to playing tricks on him.
Playing more freely, with more confidence, is perhaps what could have allowed him to achieve a different career. In any case, this is what he would have liked to change given his career.
“There were a lot of bumps in my path, especially when I was young”he continued. “I would have just told myself to play like I always have. Don’t try to conform to what others want you to do or think you should do in the field. You are there for a specific reason. Go ahead and do it. If you fail, you fail, but you will have done it your way. I think the biggest thing I would have liked to change is to try to go out on the field and be more myself.”
Far from the NBA, Jimmer Fredette thrives today in 3×3 basketball and still has the opportunity to come full circle by participating in the Olympic Games under the Team USA jersey. It would be one more dream that could come true, he who grew up admiring the exploits of Michael Phelps and other Usain Bolt at the Olympics, provided that the United States qualifies for Paris 2024.
“If I had the chance to compete in the Olympics, it would be a dream come true. It’s one of my favorite events, I watch everything that happens. I have a lot of respect for athletes and for all the time they spend without people looking at them, for five minutes of fame,” he added. “The first step is to try and qualify for the Olympics and at that point I will be 35 and have played professionally for about 13 years. For now, I’m happy with my situation. I feel good physically and mentally, so we’ll see what happens during the year.”
| Jimmer Fredette | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2011-12 | BAG | 61 | 19 | 38.6 | 36.1 | 83.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 7.6 |
| 2012-13 | BAG | 69 | 14 | 42.1 | 41.7 | 85.9 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 7.2 |
| 2013-14 * | All Teams | 49 | 11 | 47.1 | 47.6 | 90.5 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 5.6 |
| 2013-14 * | BAG | 41 | 11 | 47.5 | 49.3 | 89.5 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 5.9 |
| 2013-14 * | CHI | 8 | 7 | 44.8 | 36.4 | 100.0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| 2014-15 | NOP | 50 | 10 | 38.0 | 18.8 | 95.6 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 3.6 |
| 2015-16 * | All Teams | 6 | 3 | 40.0 | 50.0 | 80.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| 2015-16 * | NOP | 4 | 3 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| 2015-16 * | NYK | 2 | 3 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 80.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| 2018-19 | PHX | 6 | 11 | 27.6 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 3.7 |
| Total | 241 | 13 | 40.9 | 37.2 | 87.9 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 6.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
