After a lifetime of lacing up his basketball shoes and playing on the hardwood, Jimmer Fredette decided to put an end to his playing days on April 23.
But he isn't stepping away from basketball entirely, as he was recently named the managing director of the USA Basketball 3x3 men's national team.
Fredette spoke with The Daily Universe on Thursday to discuss his new role, retirement and what to expect from the USA 3x3 team.
Fredette's decision to retire
Jimmer Fredette was the outright leader for the 3x3 team since 2022, but suffered an injury in the Paris Olympics during a disappointing outing in which the United States failed to medal.
This injury was a catalyst for the former college national player of the year to contemplate his future career.
"I knew the rehab process was gonna take a good eight months to get back," Fredette said about his torn abductor injury that he suffered in the Olympics. "As I was going through it and the daily grind, I just didn't love it anymore ... because of that, I thought it was the right decision to cut it off and go in another direction."
"It was awesome to see the outpouring of support that I was able to get from all over the world, from different places I played and teammates from everywhere," Fredette added.
Before he had officially announced his retirement, Jay Demmings and Jim Tooley, directors at USA Basketball, came to Fredette with an opportunity to become the managing director of the men's 3x3 team.
For the last few months, both Fredette and USA Basketball have been working on the transition into this new era.
In his new role, Fredette will schedule games and events, select the rosters, and will help in building a sustainable program for the future of this relatively young sport.
How will Fredette tackle 3x3 roster construction?
"I want to find the guys that are super talented, but also have the right mindset and are super competitive," Fredette said. "We want guys that can play multiple positions, guard multiple positions and shoot the basketball."
Where critiques cited the lack of size as a possible factor in the US coming up short of the podium in 2024, Fredette seems to still value versatility over all else.
"It used to be big burly guys that were the fit for 3x3, but now you're seeing a little bit of a change where the 2-ball (3x3's version of the 3-pointer) is so important," Fredette said. "You're seeing a lot of space and pace type of feel, so it's not as important to be super tall, but it is important to be super strong and be able to hold your ground."
"For us, we have the most talented players in the world," Fredette said, "so we want to be able to space out, play with pace and play with our skill level."
Overall, Fredette believes that previous roster constructions have been good enough to win gold, but other factors prevented the US from attaining that achievement.
"I thought our construction of our roster was fine in 2024," Fredette said. "If I didn't get injured I think we would have had a different outcome ... we were the best team in the world going into the Olympics."
Because of FIBA rules, active NBA players would not be able to play in the World Cup or Olympics. So don't expect any drastic changes to the way USA 3x3 selects its players.
What's next for Fredette and Team USA?
The first major tournament for USA 3x3 with Fredette's new leadership position will be in June, when the US will head to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in June to play in the FIBA 3x3 World Cup.
Team USA will be looking for gold after it came so close in 2023, losing by two points to Serbia in the 2023 World Cup.
"The margin of error in 3x3 basketball is so small," Fredette said. "You never know what is going to happen in a score to 21 sprint. What we can do is have ourselves be consistently in the mix to win championships."
After a 14-year professional career, basketball lovers still haven't seen the last of Fredette. He will be a mainstay in the USA Basketball program for years to come.