It’s somewhat fitting that Jimmer Fredette announced his retirement from basketball on the eve of BYU’s graduation festivities.
Of the school’s newest graduates gathered for commencement at the Marriott Center this week, the majority were mere children during the era Fredette dazzled and dominated on the hardwood in the same building.
Advertisement
For some students and alumni, Fredette’s basketball mastery may have been among their first memories of or initial introductions to BYU.
While “Jimmermania” took the nation by storm in 2011, perhaps no one was more greatly affected by the phenomenon than the youngsters who lived through it and grew up idolizing the smiling, prolific scorer from upstate New York.
The “Jimmer generation” is real. I should know.
BYU fans go crazy for BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. No. 9 BYU vs. No. 4 San Diego State University at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011 | Stuart Johnson, Deseret News
Growing up on the East Coast, I didn’t have much exposure to BYU. I knew it was a Church school, I knew my parents went there, and I knew its mascot was a Cougar. That was pretty much my whole file on the Y.
Advertisement
During BYU’s Mountain West era, we didn’t get a ton of Cougar games on TV, and the sports teams I played on often kept me from tuning into whatever did get televised our way.
I probably only got to watch BYU football and basketball play once or twice each year. During my time covering the Cougars, I’ve consumed much more early 2000s BYU content than I did when it actually occurred. Better late than never, I suppose.
But Jimmer changed everything.
Once he dropped 37 points in a double-overtime NCAA Tournament win over Florida in 2010, BYU basketball suddenly became must-see TV — even on the East Coast.
Advertisement
I had never seen anything like this guy. His unorthodox, trademark shooting form was hypnotic. He pulled up from anywhere on the court and drained pretty much everything. He took shots I’d never seen before — it was like watching a home run derby on a basketball court.
Even the snap of the net sounded different on his shots.
Fredette felt like one of the first viral sports stars of my lifetime. Even if I didn’t get a BYU game on TV or couldn’t stay up late for it, I could hop on the internet the next morning or turn on “SportsCenter” to watch the highlights and see just how awesome he was the night before.
Advertisement
Suddenly the BYU shirts and hoodies that my parents sent me to school in started coming in handy. Every day on the playground my fifth-grade classmates would come up to me asking how many points Fredette had scored in his last game and from how far his deepest 3-point attempt had been.
Soon enough, however, those same kids started watching highlights and checking box scores themselves, and I would walk into school and be greeted by the likes of “Did you see Jimmer drop 39 last night?” or “Can you believe that half-court shot Jimmer hit?”
The game.
Jan. 26, 2011. No. 4-ranked San Diego State, undefeated and led by future NBA legend Kawhi Leonard. No. 9 BYU, led by Fredette. National television. The buildup to this contest made it feel like a Super Bowl.
Advertisement
Boy, did it live up to the hype.
You probably know how things went that day — Fredette exploded for 43 points, Jackson Emery swiped a million steals and the Cougars stunned the Aztecs 71-58 in arguably the most electric atmosphere ever seen at the Marriott Center.
Fredette was already a big deal, but beating San Diego State sent the hype into a different stratosphere.
Every day felt like Jimmer was the top story in the sports world. Viral rap songs started popping up online. The Washington, D.C. radio stations I listened to now had daily Jimmer segments. Kevin Durant was tweeting about him, Barack Obama was singing his praises and Lil Wayne name-dropped him in a new song.
Advertisement
Fredette even started gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated — the absolute peak of sports clout.
Jimmer Fredette appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated prior to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 2011. | Peter Read Miller / SI
“Jimmermania” was in full swing, and we’d never seen anything like it — especially not at BYU.
March Madness ensued, and the legend grew. Fredette averaged 32.7 points and 6.0 assists in the tournament, cementing himself as one of the event’s all-time most unforgettable figures. To this day you can’t scroll social media during the month of March without stumbling upon his highlights from the Round of 32 against Gonzaga.
Much has been said about Fredette’s lack of NBA success. He may not have lived up to his draft status as a first-round selection, but plenty of great college talents fizzle out at the next level. It’s not like Fredette is the only person to ever underwhelm in the NBA.
Advertisement
But Fredette’s professional career had its moments.
In the NBA D-League, he scored 21.1 points per game, shot 41.1% from 3-point range and was the league’s All-Star Game MVP.
In China, he became “the Lonely Master,” the face of the country’s hoops scene known for the same scoring prowess he displayed more than 6,000 miles away in Provo by posting 60- and 70-point performances with ease.
He became the star of the TBT summer tournament in two appearances there, averaging 31 points per game in the 2018 event despite the fact the contests were only 32 minutes in length.
And in the twilight of his career, Fredette tore up the FIBA 3×3 circuit as one of the sport’s most decorated American players, ultimately reaching the 2024 Summer Olympics with Team USA as his final act.
Yes, it’s a bummer that Fredette never blossomed into a consistent NBA contributor or star, but it’s also a valuable lesson for us all: sometimes things don’t go the way we hoped or planned, and that’s OK. Life’s unexpected twists, turns and turbulence can lead to other beautiful results, and true fulfillment and joy doesn’t come on the hardwood, but rather from a life centered on faith and family.
Jimmer Fredette poses for a photo with his family at BYU’s first round NCAA Tournament matchup against VCU in Denver on March 20, 2025. | BYU Photo
Plus, the man whose first name became a verb within basketball vernacular didn’t deserve to merely come off an NBA bench as a role player. Dropping 50-pieces and dominating around the world as a star in every other non-NBA sphere for nearly a decade was a much more fitting career path for the Jimmer.
Advertisement
I fell in love with basketball because of Jimmer Fredette, and many of my peers feel the same way. He’s still a folk hero in Provo and always will be. You can’t go to a BYU game without seeing dozens of his jerseys scattered about, and any time he’s on campus for an event still feels like a huge deal.
I’ll never forget sitting in the basement with my dad and brother as we we watched BYU’s 2010-11 season come to an end against Florida in the Sweet 16. Jimmer scored 32 points, but we could tell he was running on empty — he coughed up six turnovers and made just 3 of 15 attempts from long distance. Still, the plays he did make were plenty entertaining.
I remember being confused watching Fredette leave the floor for good in the final seconds of overtime. It had never occurred to me that this magical run of basketball nirvana could possibly come to an end. The 10-year-old me thought Jimmer was invincible. How could anyone beat this guy?
Advertisement
Childhood sports fandom is a beautiful thing. There’s a sweet, innocent sense of wonder and awe in watching these larger-than-life athletic figures perform. Athletes weren’t normal people like you and me, they were superhuman heroes whose purpose was to be idolized for possessing skills and abilities beyond our comprehension. In my mind, there was an element of mythical mystery to every star player I observed.
But there was just something different about Jimmer.
Brigham Young Cougars guard Jimmer Fredette (32) celebrates after beating San Diego State in NCAA basketball action in Provo, Utah, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News) | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Sure, he appeared to be the most unbelievable college hooper I’d ever seen, but for as flashy as he was on the court, he seemed to be the exact opposite off of it.
Advertisement
Fredette didn’t have the physique of a Greek god, looks of a movie star or swagger of other basketball players I’d seen. He was much more reserved, sporting a $6 haircut while prone to voice cracks and blushing during interviews.
Jimmer, the player, was a nonstop thrill ride, but Jimmer, the person, was refreshingly normal.
I believe this is why Fredette resonated so deeply with me and others from my generation — in Jimmer, we could see ourselves. His incredible on-court antics made us believe we too could accomplish extraordinary things. He was an example of what dogged determination could bring to pass. He inspired us.
And today, even after all these years, he still does.
Former BYU basketball great Jimmer Fredette, left, greets fans during a BYU basketball game against Denver, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Provo, Utah. | George Frey
