During the early 2010s, Jimmer Fredette was synonymous with college basketball excellence. Leading the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances, the sharpshooting guard rewrote the Mountain West Conference record books, amassing 2,599 career points. His resplendent 2010-11 season earned him both the Naismith Award and Player of the Year honors, cementing his legacy as one of the most electrifying players in college hoops history.
Now, in the summer of 2024, Fredette is set to embark on a new and exciting chapter of his basketball journey. As the headliner for the U.S. 3x3 men's basketball team, he is poised to lead Team USA at the Paris Olympics. It marks a significant milestone as 3x3 basketball makes its second Olympic appearance, having debuted in Tokyo in 2020.
A Pivot to 3x3 Success
Fredette's career trajectory has been anything but conventional. After being selected 10th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2011 NBA Draft, he experienced a tumultuous NBA career that never quite aligned with the stellar promise he showed at BYU. Reflecting on his professional journey, Fredette notes, "Obviously the NBA career was very up-and-down, but that doesn't just happen to just me. It's about trying to find the right fit at the right time in the right situation, and that didn't quite happen the way it could have for me. But as one door closes, another door opens, and I always tried to take full advantage of that by working hard and being prepared and believing in myself."
Indeed, Fredette found his second wind playing overseas, eventually venturing into the high-intensity world of 3x3 basketball. His transition has proven fruitful, as Fredette was recently named the 2023 USA Basketball 3x3 Male Athlete of the Year. His skills and leadership have been instrumental in guiding Team USA to a second-place finish at the 2024 World Cup, narrowly behind Serbia.
The Road to Paris
Team USA's roster for Paris is stacked with talent, including Kareem Maddox, Dylan Travis, and Canyon Barry. The team faces a formidable challenge, competing against powerhouses like Serbia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, France, China, and the Netherlands in a round-robin format. The top two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals, while those finishing between third and sixth will battle it out in the quarterfinals. The stakes will reach their peak on August 5 during the medal rounds.
Having failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games in the 3x3 format, Team USA is fueled by the desire for redemption and Olympic glory. As Fredette eyes a gold medal, he is acutely aware of the sport's unique challenges and emotional highs and lows. "The way this sport works, you either really like it or you don't like it at all. That people love it or hate it, I see the reasons why. It's difficult, there's a lot of travel involved all across the world. Sometimes you travel 36 hours for a tournament and if you lose two games you're done in like 20 minutes. ... There's just so much emotion in 3×3 basketball and it's different than five-on-five," Fredette explains.
The Game and Its Rules
For the uninitiated, 3x3 basketball is a fast-paced game played on a half-court with a 12-second shot clock. Field goals are worth one point inside the arc and two points beyond it. Unique to this format is the absence of an inbounds pass after each made basket, and the game starts with a coin toss to determine initial possession. Possession changes after each made basket, and players must dribble or pass the ball outside the arc before attempting a shot. Victory is achieved either by being the first team to score 21 points or by having the highest score after a 10-minute quarter. If tied, the first team to score two points in overtime wins.
Fredette’s immense experience and acumen in adapting to this dynamic version of the game have been pivotal in propelling Team USA forward. His prowess on the court, coupled with an unwavering determination, embodies the spirit and resilience required at the Olympic level.
As the Paris Olympics loom, all eyes will be on Fredette and his teammates. They carry the hopes and dreams of a nation, striving not only to claim the inaugural gold medal in the second Olympic 3x3 basketball event but also to etch their names in the annals of sports history. For Jimmer Fredette, it’s another golden opportunity to shine on the world stage, to once again be the star, guiding his team to triumph.