The Basketball Tournament is coming to Utah in July, which could give former BYU Basketball superstar Jimmer Fredette his first chance to play in the state since 2014.
November 22, 2014.
That’s the last time Jimmer Fredette played a competitive game in the state of Utah. Fredette’s New Orleans Pelicans took on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, and Jimmer played a little more than eight minutes in the Pelicans’ 106-94 win.
Nearly five years later he may finally be back to play in the state where he became a household name.
This summer’s The Basketball Tournament has announced the eight regional locations for the first rounds of the competition from July 25-27, and one of them will be the Maverick Center in West Valley City, Utah.
The host team? Team Fredette.
2019 will mark the third year that Team Fredette competes in The Basketball Tournament. In 2017 Jimmer served as a coach but didn’t play, and the team lost in the first round on a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
Last year Jimmer hit the hardwood, and with his scoring boost Team Fredette raced all the way to the semifinals before finally falling.
There’s no official word yet as to whether Jimmer will play again in 2019, but it seems likely. His main purpose for playing last year was to show NBA teams that he deserves another shot in the sport’s highest league. His contract in China ends after this season, so now would be the perfect time to come back, show his stuff again, and hopefully catch the eye of an NBA team.
If Jimmer does happen to sign an NBA contract before The Basketball Tournament he won’t be able to play with Team Fredette, but otherwise it’s a good bet that he’ll be showing his stuff in front of fans in Utah in July.