With less than four weeks to go until his Olympic debut, Jimmer Fredette is staying busy on the basketball court and adding more hardware to his trophy case.
The former BYU basketball star and his FIBA 3x3 basketball team, Miami, claimed the crown at the Quebec Challenger last week, and Fredette was named MVP.
“Fredette decided the (championship) game with a floater and deep 2-pointer from the left wing,” USA Basketball reported.
Fredette and his Miami teammates will next play this weekend at the Edmonton Masters event. They’re the top seed, according to the FIBA 3x3 World Tour.
Jimmer Fredette at the Olympics
Fredette was named to the United States 3x3 basketball team for the Olympics in late March, along with three of his Miami teammates: Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis.
They’ll make history as the first-ever squad from the U.S. to compete in 3x3 basketball at the Olympics, as the Deseret News previously reported.
In June, Fredette told the “Y Guys” podcast about his excitement to share his love of the relatively unknown sport with the world.
“I’m excited to be a pioneer for it and be one of the first to play in the Olympics for the men’s national team for 3x3. Once we start playing and people see what the game is and see how cool it is, they are going to love it and I think they are going to gravitate toward it and you will see more guys saying, ‘I want to try this out,’” he said, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Fredette also revealed that, while in Paris for the Olympics, he’ll be helping Utah secure the right to host the 2034 Winter Olympics.
“What an honor for me to be a part of the delegation and hopefully (we’ll) receive some amazing news. I’m excited to be a part of it,” he said.
Watch 3x3 basketball
3x3 basketball is different than regular basketball in a number of major ways:
- Three people are on the court at one time instead of five.
- The game is played on a court that’s about half the size of a regular basketball court.
- 3x3 basketball games are only 10 minutes long and can be even shorter if a team quickly reaches 21 points.
- There are no 3-pointers. The most a basket is worth is 2 points.
You can watch FIBA 3x3 basketball action, including this weekend’s Edmonton Masters event, on the FIBA 3x3 YouTube channel.
The U.S. men’s 3x3 basketball Olympic team, including Fredette, will kick-off its pursuit of the gold medal on Tuesday, July 30, at 2:35 p.m. MDT, as the Deseret News previously reported.