What Jimmer Fredette said about possibly playing in the 2024 Olympics and this year’s BYU basketball team
Jimmer Fredette has his eyes set on a ring — five to be exact.
The BYU basketball legend could represent the U.S. at the 2024 Paris Olympics as part of Team USA’s 3x3 basketball team. The roster has yet to be released, but Fredette is hopeful he’ll be included, he told the Deseret News while at RootsTech 2024 on Saturday.
“Yeah, that would be amazing, right? Like, when I hear the Olympics, you just think the pinnacle of athletics,” he said. “(It’s) such a worldwide thing and the Olympic rings and all that goes through with it, with an Olympic opening ceremonies and just being able to put USA on your chest and compete would be incredible.”
Fredette’s career included a memorable run at BYU and short stints in both the NBA and the Chinese Basketball Association, but the possibility of being named an Olympian and competing for a gold medal is an honor on a whole other level, he said.
“(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.”
Jimmer Fredette in 3x3 basketball
Fredette joined Team USA in 2023 and competed in the 2023 FIBA 3x3 Men’s World Tour, finishing second overall after a loss to Serbia in the final. The Paris Olympics would give him a chance to redeem that silver medal.
“I went all over the world to play 3x3 basketball with our team,” he said during his RootsTech 2024 class. “We went from Mongolia to Santiago, Chile to Cebu, Philippines to Tokyo to Switzerland to all over Europe, literally all over the world, which was a unique experience in itself.”
Only four players will be named to this summer’s roster, which Fredette expects to be announced in the next month. Being named Team USA’s 2023 3x3 player of the year in 2023 likely increased his chances of making the cut.
“I hope to be a part of that,” he said. “We’re really excited to do that, so I’m still continuing to do that and play some and then I have a few other different things and businesses that I work on full-time at home now. And (I’m) starting to feel more like an adult instead of just playing basketball.”
Jimmer Fredette praises BYU basketball
Fredette heaped on the praise when he was asked about BYU basketball’s upset win over Kansas.
“It’s been fun to watch them. It’s been a really collective group effort by this team, which is awesome. They don’t have a specific one superstar, right? In one game, that can be Jackson Robinson. The next game is Dallin Hall. Next game is Spencer (Johnson), right, or Fouss (Traore), so they have just a bunch of guys that can beat you,” he said.
BYU’s deep talent prevents opposing teams from eliminating just one player and pulling off a win, Fredette noted.
“That’s a fun way to play basketball, but also as the opposing team, it’s hard to scout, right? Because there’s so many guys that can beat you. It’s not like you can just try to take out one guy,” he said. “That’s not the case with this BYU team. So it’s so fun to watch.”
Fredette hopes this BYU team can get into the NCAA Tournament and “have a great run.” BYU hasn’t played in the tournament since 2021 and hasn’t made it back to the Sweet Sixteen since Fredette’s final season.
“They’re mentally tough. They’re playing hard together. They love playing for each other. You can tell they’re having fun this year, so it’s so fun to watch a program continue to build and obviously, have had a great season their first year in the Big 12,” he said. “I would have loved to have (the) opportunity to play in the Big 12. What a cool experience playing against all these amazing schools and (in) these arenas like Allen Fieldhouse, right — like where they basically started basketball and just (have a) really, really fun experience.”
