By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos signed American guard Jimmer Fredette to a two-year deal, the Greek club announced.
Fredette will play in Europe for the first time in his career next season.
Per Panathinaikos:
James Taft Fredette who was born on February 25, 1989, was the 2011 National Player of the Year in college basketball after ranking as the leading scorer in all of NCAA Division I during his senior season for the BYU Cougars. He was subsequently selected with the tenth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He spent the majority of the 2015–16 season in the NBA Development League, during which he won the All-Star Game MVP. In 2016, he joined the CBA’s Shanghai Sharks, and during the 2016–17 CBA season, he led the league in scoring, at 37.6 points per game, counting all phases of the season, and won the CBA International MVP award.
He was Glens Falls High School’s all-time leading scorer, ranking 16th on New York’s all-time scoring list, with 2,404 points. Fredette was named first-team all-state by the New York State Sportswriters Association and the Times Union as a junior and senior. In his senior season Fredette led his team to a 25–2 record and the Class A State Championship game which they lost, 58–48, to a Peekskill High School team led by future Syracuse University forward Mookie Jones. Fredette averaged 25 points per game to help the Rocks to a third-place win over the Minnesota Magic at the 2006 AAU National Championships.
Fredette played basketball collegiately at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 2007 to 2011. He played in all 35 games for the BYU Cougars as a true freshman, helping BYU earn a 27–8 record and capture the Mountain West Conference regular season championship. He averaged 18.5 minutes, 7.0 points, 1.7 assists, 1.1 rebounds per game, and was the team’s fifth-leading scorer.
Jimmer Fredette played in all 33 games of his sophomore season starting 32 of them. He was second on the team in scoring (16.2), three-point shooting percentage (.382), three-point makes (52), and free throw percentage (.847), and first in steals (1.5) and assists (4.1).
On his senior year Fredette averaged 35.8 minutes, 28.9 points, 4.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.
On June 23, 2011, Fredette was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He was subsequently traded to the Sacramento Kings in a deal with Milwaukee and the Charlotte Bobcats.
“Jimmermania” in Sacramento was felt immediately as he recharged the fan base. Sales of his jersey resulted in a 540 percent increase in Sacramento Kings merchandise sales, as his No. 7 Kings jersey sold out in stores in the Sacramento area, as well as online.
On February 12, 2014, Fredette scored a career-high 24 points, along with 2 assists, in a 106–101 overtime win over the New York Knicks. On February 27, 2014, Fredette’s contract was bought out by the Kings. On March 2, 2014, he signed with the Chicago Bulls for the rest of the 2013–14 season.
On July 24, 2014, Fredette signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. On December 31, 2014, he had a season-best game with 14 points and 3 rebounds in a 95–93 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs. On July 22, 2015, he signed with the Spurs. However, he was later waived by the Spurs on October 21, 2015. On October 31, Jimmer Fredette was selected by the Westchester Knicks with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Development League Draft.
On November 10, 2015, he re-signed with the Pelicans to help the team deal with numerous injuries. On November 28, 2015, Fredette was reacquired by the Westchester Knicks. He was named to the East All-Star team for the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game. On February 13, he led the East All-Star team to a 128–124 win over the West, winning the D-League All-Star Game MVP trophy after recording 35 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and one steal in 25 minutes.
On February 22, 2016, Fredette signed a ten-day contract with the New York Knicks. On March 6, he was reacquired by Westchester. At the season’s end, he was named to the All-NBA D-League Second Team.
On February 19, 2017, he scored 73 points in Shanghai’s 135–132 double overtime loss to Zhejiang Guangsha Lions. He was subsequently named the CBA’s International Regular Season MVP of the 2016–17 season. In 41 games, he averaged 37.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
On July 23, 2017, Fredette re-signed with the Sharks on a two-year deal. On November 11, Fredette recorded a career-high 75 points (including him scoring a record-high 40 in the fourth quarter) in a 137–136 loss to the Beikong Fly Dragons. At the end of the 2018–19 CBA season, he lead the entire league in overall points scored.
On March 22, 2019, Fredette signed a contract with the Phoenix Suns and played for six games.