With BYU, Jimmer Fredette never had the opportunity to play in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
But on Saturday, 13 years after losing in the Sweet 16 as a senior, Fredette suited up for the Final Four with USA Basketball’s 2024 3x3 men’s national team. The team played Puerto Rico in an exhibition game during halftime of the UConn-Alabama game and won 16-8, according to Burn City Sports.
Fredette’s wife, Whitney Fredette, shared pictures of the family’s weekend in Phoenix on her Instagram.
Does Jimmer Fredette still play basketball?
After leaving BYU, Fredette played professionally in the NBA for a few seasons as well as in China and Greece.
The former Cougar started playing 3x3 basketball for the U.S. in 2022 and was named last year’s player of the year. This summer, Fredette will represent the U.S. at the Paris Olympics, as the Deseret News previously reported.
In March, prior to the Olympic roster’s release, Fredette told the Deseret News that competing for the U.S. in Paris would be an incredible honor.
“(It) would obviously be one of the most memorable things that I’ve done in my career and kind of the icing on top of a kind of a long career,” he said. “It would be amazing, and I’m hopeful. But you know, to have it in Paris would be really special as well. I think it will be truly something that I’ll never forget.”
What Jimmer Fredette said about Caitlin Clark
While at the Final Four, USA Today asked Fredette for his thoughts on Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the NCAA’s Division I all-time leading scorer. Clark and Iowa fell to South Carolina in the women’s final of the NCAA Tournament Sunday.
“She’s incredible,” Fredette said. “Obviously, she’s an incredible shooter, but the one thing that I really like about her is her passing. Like for her being able to get everyone else involved really opens her game up even more.”
When opposing teams decide to double Clark, they risk leaving her teammates wide open. Teams can only allow open layups and threes for so long before giving up on doubling Clark, Fredette said.
“Because of that, she’s able to play one-on-one and get into her stuff more. So it really allows her to be the player that she is, and obviously, an incredible shooter can shoot from anywhere on the floor (and is) always a threat,” he said. “(It’s) something that I enjoy watching because that’s what I felt like I used to do as well, so it’s always fun to watch.”
Clark and Fredette have actually met before, as the Deseret News previously reported.
As part of ESPN’s “Sue’s Places,” Fredette challenged Clark to a three-point contest earlier this season, which the Iowa guard ended up winning.
In the episode, Clark revealed that Fredette was one of the players she looked up to growing up.
“I vividly remember Jimmer Fredette’s tournament run,” she said. “Me and my cousins just would watch all of his games, watch his highlights on YouTube, so I’ve always been a big Jimmer fan.”