Jimmer Fredette announces basketball retirement at 36

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Jimmer Fredette, a top college prospect who never found his niche in the NBA but made waves overseas, retires after representing the United States' 3x3 basketball team in the Paris Olympics last year

Jimmer Fredette, a college basketball standout who later starred in China and with USA Basketball, announced his retirement from the game on Wednesday, April 23 (Thursday, April 24, Manila time).

“It’s time to say goodbye to basketball,” he posted to X. “I have loved every second of my career through the good and the bad! Thank you all for the support throughout the years. Basketball has made me who I am today. Excited for what is next in my life with my family!”

Fredette, 36, grew up in Glens Falls, New York, and played four seasons at BYU, giving birth to the phenomenon known as “Jimmermania.” In 2011, he led BYU to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, where the third-seeded Cougars fell to Florida in overtime, and also was named National Player of the Year.

As a senior, Fredette led all Division I scorers with 28.9 points per game and also shot 39.6% from three-point range. The All-American guard added 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

He never found his niche in the NBA, however. Drafted No. 10 overall in 2011, he appeared in 241 games for five teams over parts of six seasons. The bulk of those games came with the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans, and he played in 16 combined games with the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, and New York Knicks.

Fredette went on to play four seasons in China and one in Europe and was named MVP of the Chinese Basketball League in the 2016-17 season when he averaged 37.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, and shot 41.1% from three-point territory. In China, he had games of 70 and 75 points.

His final basketball act was as the leader of the United States’ 3×3 basketball team, and he entered the Paris Olympics last summer as the top-ranked player in the game and with the Americans a medal contender. But Fredette suffered an adductor injury in the second game of the tournament and, unable to replace him on the roster by rules, the US fell out of the medals.

Fredette is a partner in Tandem Venture Partners, a venture capital firm in Utah. – Rappler.com