Former NBA player and former CBA player Jimfredette has announced his retirement from the sport after 14 years, according to media reports.
He said: “It is not easy to say goodbye as a player, but the moment has come. I am looking forward to the future and believe the next phase of my life will be better.”
He also wrote about playing in the Chinese league: “Playing in China has completely changed the way I’m viewed. It’s the warmest memory of my career.”
Fredette’s original social media letter:
The first time I shot basketball outdoors with my brother, I fell in love with the sport when the ball went into the net in a perfect arc. I reveled in the rhythm of its cycles, in the art of precision, and basketball was carved into my life. Day In and day out training, in the refined skills to enjoy the pain of growth, more fortunate to get everyone’s support and help in childhood. The experience made me stand out in high school and eventually won a Brigham Young University basketball scholarship.
The road to college hasn’t been easy, but the results have exceeded expectations: from being the top scorer in the to playing in four NCAA marches, including a Sweet 16, to being named the best player in the country. This is not only a turning point in my basketball career, but also a life-changing opportunity. My childhood dream came true when I was drafted No. 10 in the first round. I just didn’t expect that I would have such a rollercoaster five years ahead of me-a rollercoaster ride of form, sometimes amazing, sometimes bench-less, even out of the game. But the determination to make the journey a success never dies.
When the invitation of the Shanghai men’s basketball team came, I entered a new chapter with the right mentality and the conviction of winning. In My CBA days, we made the playoffs every season. I was an all-star three times and won the MVP trophy. Despite the unspeakable isolation of months away from my family, the experience changed the way I was viewed and became one of the warmest memories of my career. After leaving China, I took a break from basketball and chose to rest my mind and body.
Then the USA Basketball Association called, let me begin to challenge three-person basketball court. This strange sport rekindled my love of basketball, in a completely strange field to break through the self, let me rekindle the passion. We went out and played all over the world and ended up as the number one team in the world and I personally won the player of the Year award. Even more incredible, it gave me the opportunity to stand on the Olympic stage, which was a childhood dream that was out of reach, and now it has become a reality.
More important than victory or defeat or difficulty is the lesson that basketball has given me in life: How to succeed with sweat, how to persevere in the face of adversity, how to cooperate with others for win-win results, and how to persevere in the face of doubt, how to be humble in moments of glory, how to treat people with respect.
Basketball made me who I am. It’s not easy to say goodbye to basketball, but the time has come to say goodbye. I am looking forward to the next stage of my life, because I know that basketball has given me everything I need to make the future more solid.
In 2011, Fredette was drafted by the Bucks in the 10th overall pick and traded to the Kings. He played for the Kings, bulls, pelicans, Knicks and suns in the NBA, he averaged 6 points, 1 rebound and 1.4 assists in 13.3 minutes in 241 regular-season games.
While playing for the CBA Shanghai team, Fredette was named an all-star for three years in a row, winning the 2017 International Player of the Season award. He also scored 70 + points in three CBA games, but lost all three times. During his four seasons with the Shanghai team, Fredette played 165 regular-season games for the team, averaging 34.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2 steals per game; in the playoffs, Fredette played nine games, he averaged 31.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals.