This year’s Paris Games were just not meant to be for Jimmer Fredette.
Fredette and the U.S. men’s 3×3 basketball team were officially eliminated from the Olympics on Sunday with a 21-6 loss to the Netherlands. The U.S. finished pool play with a record of 2-5 and were without Fredette for the final five of those games due to a lower-body injury he suffered against Poland during the early stages.
In a post to Instagram after his team’s elimination, Fredette revealed that he completely tore two different ligaments in his adductor.
“I had an injury that took place in the beginning minutes of our second game against Poland,” Fredette wrote. “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 is devastating for me as I have put two years into qualifying for the Olympics with this group who are my brothers,” added Fredette.
The former NBA lottery pick Fredette did add though that he was “grateful” for the opportunity to represent his country at the Olympics and that he is “a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.” You can read his full post below.
Ever since flaming out of the NBA, Fredette, now 35, has managed to put together a very successful second act. He became an MVP in 2017 playing for the Shanghai Sharks of China and later went on to win a Greek League championship with Panathinaikos in 2020. Fredette then joined the 3×3 circuit in 2022 and entered the Paris Olympics as FIBA’s No. 1-ranked 3×3 player in the world.
Even with Fredette injured, Team USA still managed to claw together two wins thanks to the heroics of teammates Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox, and Dylan Travis (as Fredette helped coach the team from the sidelines). Though the result was far from what Fredette was hoping for, he can still hold his head high that he was able to be an Olympian (plus is still faring better than his alma mater is right now).
