Jimmer Fredette was a comet in college. He won the National Player of the Year in 2011 and was the leading scorer in the NCAA as a senior for BYU. He wowed in the NCAA tournament, often taking on opponents one-on-five, and drew comparisons to Stephen Curry for his sharp shooting.
But Fredette’s pro career didn’t pan out as he, and his many fans, hoped. Instead of becoming a multi-time NBA All-Star like Curry, he struggled to find his footing after being drafted 10th overall in 2011, playing for Sacramento for two-and-a-half seasons and then bouncing around the league before playing in Greece and China. But the 35-year-old has found a new calling as the face of USA’s men’s 3x3 basketball team. He will make his Olympic debut when the Americans begin their campaign against Germany on Tuesday.
We caught up with Fredette to talk all things 3x3, and his hopes as a first-time Olympian.
How does it feel to be one of the faces of the Olympic 3x3 tournament for 2024?
Ha! You know, it’s just an honor to be able to be playing for Team USA. When we all got that call to play, it was a special moment, something you dream about as a kid. But in basketball, it’s such a unique experience because most of the time it’s been the 12 best American NBA players that play in the Olympics. That’s what you see growing up – the Dream Team and the Redeem Team. So, when 3x3 came about, it was a realistic opportunity for myself to be able to play. So I dove all-in and now to be able to have the Olympics in Paris, which is obviously one of the coolest cities out there – there’s going to be a lot of eyes on it.
What do you want to say about your USA teammates?
Kareem Maddox is the first one I’ll start off with. He’s been playing 3x3 the longest. He’s been part of a lot of USA teams, the World Cups and a lot of these different international tournaments. He’s been playing [3x3] for about eight years. He played at Princeton – he’s a really good high-level player, Defensive Player of the Year in the Ivy League. He went and played overseas for four or five years and then decided to play 3x3. So, he’s a great asset.
Canyon Barry is another one. He is [basketball hall of famer] Rick Barry’s son. He’s 6ft 7in, athletic. He’s been playing 3x3 for about five years … He does shoot the underhand free-throw like his father. He makes it all the time, which is amazing. Just a great guy, great player. And then Dylan Travis, who is a Division II All-American and national champion. He played overseas in Germany and then Australia for several years then he decided to play 3x3 basketball. So, he’s been playing for about four years as well. So, I’m the newbie [Fredette has been playing 3x3 seriously for two years] compared to these guys who have been more veteran and playing for a long period of time. But Dylan is the heart and soul of our team. He’s a glue guy who’s going to score when you need him to, take charge when you need him to, get on every loose ball, rebound and just play hard. Together, we have a great group.
Can you talk more about the adjustment to 3x3? Did you enjoy the process?
It took some time for me to be able to adjust. It probably took me about six months before I actually started feeling like, OK I actually feel comfortable on the court with how the actions are happening. There’s a lot of different actions offensively that teams run against you that you don’t see in five-on-five because you have more spacing and there’s just a bunch of little [differences]. And the 12-second shot clock obviously took me some time to get used to, as well. It’s a very fast-paced game. More physical, they let you be more physical. So, you have to train a little bit differently as well in the off season. You have to do a little bit more weight lifting, a little bit more, like, wrestling or MMA-type training to get out there because it is physical. Then you’re into sprints and then you’re back into physicality. So, that type of training took me a little while.
Was 3x3 big during college and NBA practice?
It’s definitely getting a lot bigger now in the NBA, colleges, because they see the way that they move the ball and the different little tricky actions that they have. They’re like, we can implement some of these things into five-on-five. So, you’re starting to see it more now. But I used to play 3x3 basketball when I was younger. In the US, they have … all these 3x3 tournaments that they play outdoor or just on the street. And I used to play all of those with my friends and I used to love it. Obviously it’s a little bit of a different brand of basketball but it was outside playing 3x3 is where I started playing basketball and now to have it come full circle is kind of cool.
What are your goals for Paris 2024?
In 2021, the [US] men, unfortunately, didn’t even qualify for the Olympics. So, right after that [US officials said] we can’t do that. They wanted to make sure to put more resources into it … I feel like we’re getting better and better and better. Last year, we took silver in the world championships to Serbia … I had a shot that was in and out to win it and it ended up popping out and they ended up winning that.
So, obviously, it’s something that we want to be able to hopefully avenge in the Paris Olympics. But it’s not just Serbia. There’s eight really good teams in the Olympics. It’s going to be very difficult. When you watch it, you see it’s really nerve-wracking. It’s such a quick game. It’s [the first team to] 21 [points], right? Or to 10 minutes, whichever comes first. So, if a team gets hot and they start hitting twos, it could be over quickly. So, there’s a lot of variance. It’s not like a team will win every single time no matter what. In the NBA’s seven-game series, usually the best team is going to win. Whereas here, it’s like the [single elimination] NCAA tournament. You never know what’s going to happen. So, you just have to be prepared and ready for any situation.
Do you have plans post-Olympics? It doesn’t sound like the NBA is in your plans.
It’s a great question, honestly. I am not 100% sure yet. I am focused on this Olympics. And then after that anything goes for me, to be honest with you. If there’s an opportunity that comes up that I feel like is great for me and my family, awesome. If it doesn’t, I’m sure the Olympics could be a great swansong, too. So, it could go any direction for me at this point. I don’t honestly know.
What do you love most about where you are today as a basketball player?
For me, it’s been a long, great journey. I’ve had a lot of amazing things that have happened. Some things that have been difficult for me throughout my career, which has been great. It’s made me the person and the player that I am today. But I feel like right now I’m enjoying playing basketball as much as I ever have. And I think that that’s one thing that I always gauge of how I feel and how I’m enjoying the game with the situation that I have. So, it gives me new life to go out and practice and get better and want to get better at all these things, which are super important. I’m still not the best in the world at this, so I want to continue to work until I am. So, I’m excited about it. It’s been a really, really fun and unique experience and something that I definitely am enjoying right now. And I feel like I’m in as good a shape and as good a basketball player as I’ve ever been.
