But in China, Fredette was given the green light, and he took advantage. In his first three seasons with the Sharks, he averaged more than 37 points on nearly 27 shots per game, including two games with more than 70 points. But after a brief return to the NBA during the COVID-19 pandemic, then a trip back to Greece and then back to China, Fredette decided he wanted to spend more time with his family and focus on a second career in venture capitalism.
This is where Fran Fraschilla comes in.
In the spring of 2022, the ESPN analyst and former college basketball coach will join USA Basketball as a senior adviser to the men’s 3×3 basketball program, tasked with helping revive the program after it missed out on Olympic qualification in 2021. When he heard Fredette was moving away from 5-on-5 basketball, he thought 3-on-3 might be more appealing to him, with a chance to continue playing with fewer minutes.
After a two-hour lunch in Denver that summer, Fredette got involved, Fraschilla said.
“Jimmer is a U.S. 3×3 representative,” Fraschilla said in an interview. “He’s had a great career. He was able to compete because he retired. … He’s just a perfect fit for the sport.”
To Fraschilla, Fredette is not only “a basketball icon in so many ways,” but he’s also a great shooter and in great shape — a profile he thought would translate well to a 3-on-3 game in which teams play 21 players with little time to rest.
“It’s a totally different game,” Fredette explained, “Obviously it’s faster paced, the shot clock is faster, so you have to play in a different type of position, you’re quicker horizontally rather than running vertically or up and down.”
The game is also much more physical, Fredette said, something he enjoyed as a former high school football player.
He also found it provided the balance he was looking for: getting his kids to school, training, and focusing on his venture capital job in the afternoon. He quickly became a key player on the U.S. team, helping lead the U.S. to victory at last year’s Pan American Games and a runner-up finish at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup.
“His talent is such that he’s probably one of the best three players, if not the best player, on the 3×3 World Tour,” Fraschilla said, “so he’s a tremendous asset to USA Basketball.”
In return, 3-on-3 basketball gave Fredette another chance at something he thought had slipped away a long time ago. Summer Olympics He knows his path to Paris was unconventional, and he acknowledges that his basketball career didn’t go as planned: Instead of a 15-year NBA career, he spent the past year traveling to 15 countries playing 3-on-3 basketball.
When asked if he ever imagined the nomadic life he now leads, Fredette simply replied, “No,” and laughed.
“I’ve had great times and tough times in my career, as a lot of people go through in life, whether in sport or anything else,” he said. “The most important thing for me is that when one door closes, another one opens, and you can just go for it.”
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media. Tom Shad .
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