The circle of basketball is a lot like the circle of life. As one player enters the game, another hangs it up for good. And on Wednesday, a Sacramento Kings alumni decided he has played his last game.
Jimmer Fredette is retiring from basketball
Jimmer Fredette took to Twitter (I refuse to call it "X") to send out a heartfelt message announcing that he is stepping away from the game of basketball for good. For those who haven't seen it yet, here it is:
It’s time to say goodbye to basketball. I have loved every second of my career through the good and the bad! Thank you all for the support throughout the years. Basketball has made me who I am today. Excited for what is next in my life with my family! pic.twitter.com/Rx4r8Y4yfG
— Jimmer Fredette (@jimmerfredette) April 23, 2025
Fredette was drafted by the Kings in the first round of the 2011 NBA Draft after a wildly successful career at BYU. In his senior season at BYU, Fredette averaged 28.9 PPG on 59.4% true shooting en route to the AP Player of the Year award.
Unfortunately, his time with the Kings was not nearly as illustrious, causing the pick to be viewed in infamy by the fanbase. Fredette spent 2.5 years with the Kings, averaging just 7 PPG on 53.2% true shooting in that time.
After his time with the Kings, Fredette had stints with the Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, and Phoenix Suns across four different seasons.
Fredette actually stopped playing in the NBA in 2019. Since then, he's made stops in Greece, China, and in three-on-three basketball leagues. Fredette also spent two years in China with the Shanghai Sharks from 2016-18, when he was away from the NBA until signing with the Suns (his final destination in the NBA).
Fredette absolutely dominated during his time with the Sharks. He had three seasons where he averaged over 36 PPG on over 41% shooting from downtown. In his "worst" season, he still averaged 27.3 PPG on 46.6% shooting from the floor and 40.2% from downtown. The only reason his numbers even decreased was because he was playing eight fewer minutes per game than he was in those other three seasons.
Fredette's lack of size made it difficult for his game to translate to the NBA level. This not only hurt him on defense, but it also limited him on offense as the physicality of the league seemed to overwhelm him. However, Fredette's collegiate career and later international success should give him a long-lasting legacy in the sport that he clearly loved dearly.