Former BYU basketball star Jimmer Fredette announced he will compete in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) this summer during the Chinese offseason and once again expressed his desire to eventually make it back to the NBA.
“I would always love to get another chance in the NBA,” Fredette told ESPN.com. “I’ve gotten better in China and improved every year. … You hope somebody takes notice.”
Fredette recently finished his second season playing professionally in China, where he has found enormous success after struggling to find a consistent role on an NBA squad.
TBT is a single-elimination tournament with a $2 million prize. Regionals begin at the end of June, and the championship will be held in August.
Fredette coached a team last year, but will compete this year as a player, looking to impress scouts and show his development and maturation since leaving for China.
The tournament will be broadcast on ESPN and features dozens of players with NBA experience, including some who played this past season.
“It’s a great talent pool,” Fredette told ESPN. “Obviously, it’s the real deal with a $2 million prize.”
Fredette’s last NBA opportunity came in his home state of New York, where he split his time between the Knicks and the Development League’s Westchester Knicks.
If he does generate interest from NBA teams during the tournament, Fredette explained he will still honor his contract and return to China for one more year before leaving for another team.
