For the second time in Olympic history, eight teams in men’s 3×3 basketball will play in Paris starting July 30. The United States will compete in the event for the first time after missing out on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Sacramento natives may recognize a familiar face representing the red, white and blue in the city of love. Former Sacramento Kings guard James Taft “Jimmer” Fredette is the centerpiece of Team USA’s four-man squad. Relatively tall at 6 feet 2 inches, Fredette is remembered as a cult hero for playing 5-on-5 games in college. Here’s everything you need to know about Olympians with Sacramento ties and 3×3 basketball. What exactly is 3×3 basketball? 3×3 basketball is commonly known as streetball, a popular remix of one of the world’s most famous sports. The sport takes players and viewers back to its playground roots with the rules of the game. It’s basketball, but faster, closer and more snappy. It’s played on one side of the court instead of the full court. The game is played outdoors, exposing the best shooters in the world to the elements. Each game lasts for 10 minutes or until the first team scores 21 points (a field goal from inside the arc is worth 1 point, a field goal from outside the arc is worth 2 points). There is a 12-second shot clock, and no breaks. It’s full speed from the beginning. Many of the pro 3-on-3 players are former college players who were not generally stars. The fact that Fredette, a former college superstar who played in the NBA and became an internet sensation, made it onto this Olympic team created a buzz on social media. Fredette’s playing career College: Brigham Young University (2007-2011) Fredette rose to fame for his collegiate exploits at BYU before beginning his NBA career. He was a legendary scorer and deadly shooter known for his ability to score quickly, a lot, and from distance. Think pre-Stephen Curry. During his four years in Provo, Utah, he garnered acclaim for his explosive growth in scoring. During his senior year in 2010-11, Fredette made national headlines as his games were seen in every city the Cougars played in. In early December 2010, his hometown of Glen Falls, Vermont, drew a crowd of about 6,300 people to a game against the University of Vermont, just under half the city’s total population of 14,354. He had a remarkable senior season, leading the nation in points per game (28.9) and finishing in the top five in three-pointers made per game (3.4), helping lead BYU to third place in the nation at one point during the season. Following this outstanding senior season, Fredette was unanimously selected as the 2011 Player of the Year by multiple publications and was also named a first-team All-American. He finished his collegiate career setting BYU’s school scoring record 11 times and the Mountain West Conference scoring record six times. NBA: Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Phoenix SunsAfter completing his stellar senior season, Fredette declared for the NBA draft. He was selected 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2011, but was quickly traded to the Kings in a draft-day trade. His fame at BYU continued in the City of Trees, where fans celebrated “Zimmermania.” After his arrival, Kings merchandise sales increased 540% and his number 7 jersey sold out almost instantly. Fredette married former BYU cheerleader Whitney Wonnacott in June 2012, after his freshman season in Sacramento. Fredette would not enjoy the same on-court success in Sacramento, or in the NBA at large, as he did in college. During his time in college, he played in 171 games over two and a half years with the Kings, averaging 6.9 points. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls midway through the 2014 season, where he played four more seasons. He spent a lot of time with three franchises under the G League (NBA development league) until his retirement in 2019. He finished his NBA career with 241 appearances over eight seasons, averaging 6 points per game. After finishing his overseas NBA career, Fredette signed a two-year contract with Panathinaikos of Greece to play in the EuroLeague, Europe’s top basketball league. Due to financial difficulties caused by the pandemic, Fredette was forced to leave Greece in July 2020. In September of the same year, he joined the Shanghai Sharks in China. By December, he was the franchise’s all-time three-point leader. Further COVID-19 restrictions forced Fredette to leave China in 2021 as foreign players faced further complications regarding their ability to play in the Chinese Basketball Association. Fredette’s Path to the Olympics Fredette set his sights on these Olympics before starting his professional three-on-three career in 2022. After playing in various club team events around the country, he was eventually selected to the U.S. Men’s 2022 3×3 America’s Cup team, where the team won the gold medal. He remained on the team and led the U.S. to a silver medal in the 2023 FIBA 3-on-3 Men’s World Cup, where he was selected to the Team of the Tournament. The former BYU standout magician led all players in that category in the 2023 World Cup. He ranks eighth in scoring among all 3×3 players worldwide, and is the second-highest ranked American in the category. As the Paris Olympics approach, we introduce some Olympians with ties to Northern California.
For the second time in Olympic history, eight men’s 3-on-3 basketball teams will compete in Paris beginning July 30.
The United States will be competing in the tournament for the first time after failing to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Sacramento natives might recognize a familiar face representing the red, white and blue of the City of Love: former Sacramento Kings guard James Taft “Jimmer” Fredette leads the foursome for Team USA. Relatively tall at 6-foot-2, Fredette is remembered as a cult hero of sorts from his days playing 5-on-5 in college.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Olympian with Sacramento ties and a penchant for 3-on-3 basketball.
What is 3×3 basketball?
3v3 basketball is commonly known as a streetball-style adaptation of one of the world’s most famous sports. It’s a game with rules that take players and viewers back to its playground origins. It’s basketball, but played faster, closer and more quickly. It’s played on a half court instead of a full court. The game is played outdoors, with the best shooters in the world, and in all weather conditions.
Each game lasts for 10 minutes or until the first team scores 21 points (a field goal from inside the arc is worth 1 point, a field goal from outside the arc is worth 2 points). There is a 12-second shot clock, and no breaks. It’s full speed from the start. Many of the pro 3-on-3 players are generally from college, and may not have been star players. The fact that Fredette, a former college superstar who played in the NBA and became an internet sensation, made the Olympic team created a buzz on social media.
Fredette’s playing career
University: Brigham Young University (2007-2011)
Fredette was best known for his time at BYU before his NBA days. He was a legendary scorer and a lethal shooter known for his ability to score quickly, a lot and from distance. Think Stephen Curry before Stephen Curry.
During his four years in Provo, Utah, he garnered acclaim for his scoring bursts. During his senior year in 2010-11, his games became spectacular in every city the Cougars played in and he made headlines nationwide. In early December 2010, he played in his hometown of Glen Falls, Vermont against the University of Vermont, drawing a crowd of about 6,300 people, just under half of the city’s total population of 14,354.
He had a standout senior season, leading the nation in points per game (28.9) and finishing in the top five in 3-pointers made per game (3.4), helping lead BYU to third in the country at one point during the season.
Fredette had a fantastic senior season and was unanimously named 2011 Player of the Year by multiple publications and a first-team All-American. He finished his collegiate career setting 11 BYU school scoring records and six Mountain West Conference scoring records.
NBA: Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns
Fredette declared for the NBA draft after a stellar senior season. He was selected 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2011 and was promptly traded to the Kings in a draft-day deal. His fame at BYU continued all the way to the City of Trees, where fans celebrated “Zimmermania.” After his arrival, Kings merchandise sales increased 540 percent and his No. 7 jerseys sold out almost instantly.
Fredette married former BYU cheerleader Whitney Wonnacott in June 2012 after his freshman season in Sacramento. At the time, she told KCRA 3 that she had been working at a local equestrian center while the couple was in the city and that she planned to return to local equestrian competitions.
Fredette never enjoyed the same on-court success in Sacramento or the NBA as he did in college. He played in 171 games over two and a half seasons with the Kings, averaging 6.9 points per game. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls midway through the 2014 season, where he played four more seasons. He spent a lot of time with three G-League teams before retiring in 2019. He finished his NBA career with 241 games over eight seasons, averaging 6 points per game.
abroad
After his NBA career ended, Fredette traveled to Greece to play in Europe’s top basketball league, the EuroLeague, signing a two-year contract with Panathinaikos. Due to financial difficulties caused by the pandemic, Fredette was forced to leave Greece in July 2020. In September of that year, he joined the Shanghai Sharks in China. By December, the team was the all-time record holder for three-point shots. In 2021, further COVID-19 restrictions made it even more difficult for foreign players to play in the Chinese Basketball Association, forcing Fredette to leave China.
Fredette’s road to the Olympics
Fredette set his sights on the Olympics and began his professional 3-on-3 career in 2022. He played in various club team events around the country and was ultimately selected to the US Men’s 2022 3×3 America’s Cup team, where the team won the gold medal. He remained on the team and led the US to a silver medal in the 2023 FIBA 3-on-3 Men’s World Cup, where he was selected to the Team of the Tournament. The former BYU standout Magician led all players in that category at the 2023 World Cup. He ranks eighth in scoring among all 3×3 players worldwide, the second-highest American in the category.
As the Paris Olympics approach, we’re introducing some Olympians with ties to Northern California.
