Before Jimmer Fredette ever takes the floor in his first Olympics, the former BYU star will assist his adopted state of Utah in securing its second.
Fredette will be among Utah’s official delegation on July 24 when the International Olympic Committee is expected to award Utah with hosting rights to the 2034 Winter Games.
“We will make a presentation with our governor, mayor and myself, where we get to show the best of Utah and we’ll include a shoutout to our great athletes,” Fraser Bullock, president and CEO of the Salt Lake City Committee for the Games, told the “Y’s Guys” podcast this week. “The fact that (Jimmer) is going to take time out to join this very important moment in the history of Utah and be there in person with the IOC and everybody else, it’s just fantastic.”
“I know it’s going to be emotional, and I’ll probably be the most nervous I’ve ever been playing in a basketball game when we take the floor that first time.”
— Jimmer Fredette on competing in the Paris Summer Games
Fredette grew up in Glens Falls, New York, about 100 miles from Lake Placid, which hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1980. He arrived at BYU in 2007 and left as college basketball’s National Player of the Year and an NBA lottery pick in 2011.
“I just love Utah. I’ve had some amazing moments there,” Fredette, who lives in Colorado, told the “Y’s Guys” podcast. “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.”
Two days after Utah’s 2034 announcement, Fredette will file into the heart of downtown Paris for opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Games, where he will represent the United States in the Olympic debut of 3×3 basketball.
“It’s gonna be crazy. Honestly, I don’t know what to expect,” said Fredette. “When you looked at USA Basketball growing up, it was the Dream Team and the Redeem Team with these mythical characters like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and then LeBron, D-Wade, Kevin Durrant and Kobe. I always had confidence in my abilities, but I wasn’t sure if I could be on a 12-man roster for the Olympics.”
The addition of 3×3 basketball in the Paris games piqued Fredette’s interest when USA Basketball approached him two years ago.
“When it came to the opportunity, I jumped at it because you are still playing basketball in the Olympics,” he said. “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 3×3. 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.’”
The Olympic 3×3 schedule in Paris was announced on Monday. The United States will begin pool play on July 30 against Serbia in a matchup of the top-rated teams in the world.
“It’s starting to hit me. I have a little more pep in my step during workouts. I know it’s close. It’s incredible,” Fredette said. “I know it’s going to be emotional, and I’ll probably be the most nervous I’ve ever been playing in a basketball game when we take the floor that first time.”
Prior to Paris, Fredette and Team USA will play two more tuneup tournaments in Quebec and Edmonton before traveling to France in mid-July.
Fredette’s wife, Whitney, and their children (Wesley, Taft, and Grayson) are going with him.
“My family is prepared and ready,” Fredette said. “They have an outfit for every day that’s all red, white and blue USA with stars and stripes. They are excited!”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.