Jimmer Fredette announces basketball retirement at 36

Jimmer Fredette, a college basketball standout who later starred in China and with USA Basketball, announced his retirement from the game on Wednesday.

“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!”

More on former Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette

Jimmer Fredette, 36, grew up in Glens Falls, N.Y., 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 percent from 3-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.

Jimmer 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 percent from 3-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 U.S. fell out of the medals.

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

–Field Level Media

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

Recently-named Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to share his thoughts on returning to the 916 following a brief tenure with the team in 2017, explain his vision for this current roster, and much more.

Plus, Scott answers a pressing question that has been on the minds of Kings fans: Does he get final say in basketball-related decisions, or will ownership continue to play a role in that process?

Be sure to check out the entire interview with Kings GM Scott Perry on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page.

Scott Perry says he is empowered to do what he sees fit in constructing Kings roster

Upcoming schedule for the Sacramento Kings

• Sunday, April 20th – Start of the NBA Playoffs
• Monday, May 12th – NBA Draft Lottery
• Wednesday, June 25th – 2025 NBA Draft
• Monday, June 30th – NBA free agent negotiations can begin
• Sunday, July 6th – NBA free agents can officially sign with teams
• July 10th-20th – Las Vegas NBA Summer League
• August TBD – Release of 2025-26 regular season schedule
• September TBD – Start of NBA training camps for the 2025-26 season

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