What Happened to Jimmer Fredette? Team USA’s Heartbreaking Exit from 3×3 Basketball Follows Another Shocker

Jimmer Fredette might not have found a stable home in the NBA, but that hasn’t stopped the 35-year-old from making the best use of his hoop skills. After stints with different teams like the Suns, Kings, Bulls, Pelicans, Knicks, and its G League team as well as a little time overseas, Fredette finally committed to 3×3 Basketball in 2022. Suffice it to say that he has found quite a lot of success ever since.

Having qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Jimmer was the key piece of Team USA. Despite starting 0-4, Fredette and his group thrilled fans with two straight wins over France and China. Unfortunately, the Greek League Champion suffered a severe left leg injury in the second pool play game against Poland and was on the bench for the rest of the time.

Jimmer Fredette provides a heart-rending update after Team USA suffered a tragic loss at the hands of the Netherlands

Fredette’s update was in no way comforting for the foreseeable future. The official X handle of USA Basketball 3×3 posted Jimmer’s Instagram post with the caption, “Heartbroken for Jimmer, his family & the team.” In his IG post, the hooper wrote a heartfelt message along with the details of his injury – 2 torn ligaments in his adductor that will see him off the floor for 6 months.

“First off, I am so grateful to have been an Olympian and to represent Team USA in 3×3 basketball. Thank you to all my coaches, and the USAB staff that put trust in me to help with get to this stage. To wear USA across my chest was an honor. I had an injury that took place in the beginning minutes of our second game against Poland. I tore two different ligaments completely in my adductor, which prevented me from being able to compete. This will lead me to have a recovery of around 6 months.”

This news comes in the wake of Team USA’s early exit from the Olympics. Had they finished sixth in the pool play round, the Red, White & Blue might have made it to the knockout rounds. In fact, Latvia’s win over Poland provided them with one such opportunity. Unfortunately, the Netherlands was a tough opponent for a short-handed Team USA in the 3×3 competition. The 21-6 loss landed them in the seventh place, effectively ending their Olympic dreams early.

“Jimmermania” is no joke!

There’s a reason Fran Fraschilla, senior advisor of USAB, traveled to Denver two years ago to meet up with Jimmer Fredette. The most feared scorer of Brigham Young University, the sky was the limit for a young Fredette. By then, the entire nation was swept with “Jimmermania”, with the ex-POTUS, Barack Obama, in awe of the BYU senior. “Unbelievable. Best scorer obviously in the country. Great talent,” he said to ESPN’s Andy Katz in 2011.

The NBA future looked bright for Jimmer. Or at least that was the plan. Unfortunately, the once-shining sun was slowly losing its glory as defense turned out to be his undoing in the league. All those who argued that the MWC Player of the Year’s scoring and playmaking on offense would be enough to compensate for his defensive liabilities were thoroughly disappointed. Yet, Fraschilla, with his keen eye for elite talent, knew that the prime guy who torched the fourth-ranked Aztecs for 43 points in 2011 was still there.

“I knew he still had game and I knew he was competitive, so I just took a shot,” he said in a chat with Yahoo Sports. And the fact that the 3x CBA All-Star was an Olympics junkie also helped. “As soon as I heard ‘Olympics,’ I was like, ‘I’m all in,’. I saw this as the opportunity of a lifetime.”

It sure was! And that was one of the aspects he touched on in his IG post. “This is devastating for me as I have put two years into qualifying for the Olympics with this group who are my brothers,” he wrote. But it seems Jimmer Fredette is still fully committed to rewriting his basketball ending.

“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. And something this has taught me is to enjoy the journey. You never know what can happen once you reach your destination but if you don’t enjoy getting there – you are missing the point.”

We wish Jimmer the best and a speedy recovery.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.