Jimmer Fredette: Joining Greek team was ‘tough decision’

Jimmer Fredette returned to the NBA toward the end of last season and was hoping to generate more interest from teams this summer, but he instead decided to sign with Greek team Panathinaikos. As you might expect, the decision to go back overseas was not an easy one.

Fredette arrived in Greece this week and said he is “excited” to be joining a great organization. However, he admitted leaving the NBA to sign with Panathinaikos was a “tough decision.”

“It was a tough decision. Panathinaikos has been calling and trying to get me a part of their team for a couple of years,” Fredette said, via Stefan Djordjevic of EuroHoops.net. “It just hadn’t worked out up to this point. But at this point, we decided that it’s the right opportunity for myself, my family and the team to be joined together and hopefully be able to have a great season.”

Fredette had been with the Golden State Warriors during the Summer League, but he left to sign a two-year deal with Panathinaikos. The team has won six EuroLeague Championships and 37 Greek Championships and is the same one Rick Pitino coached last season, so the reputation speaks for itself.

After he was drafted with the No. 10 overall pick in 2011 out of BYU, Fredette played with the Kings, Bulls, Pelicans and Knicks before heading overseas to play in China. He was a three-time All-Star in the Chinese Basketball Association and won the league’s MVP in 2017. The 30-year-old has never played in the EuroLeague, but he should find success.