Jimmer Fredette during his stay with the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. (Photo : NB/YouTube)
Former Sacramento Kings point guard Jimmer Fredette is averaging a league-leading 37 points per game, leading his Shanghai Sharks to first place in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
The 27-year-old Fredette only averaged 6.0 points a game in his seven years in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The 2011 Player of the Year at BYU, Fredette is more comfortable about having the green light to "just do what you do on the court" with the Sharks, which nearly disbanded eight years ago but is now on the top of the CBA standings with a 25-6 record.
He talked about being given the opportunity to shoot the basketball playing in the CBA but hasn't given up on his dream returning to the NBA.
Fredette was taken at No. 10 overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.
He was swiftly traded to the Kings, where he played five NBA seasons posting 6.0 points in 13.4 minutes per game.
He also played for the Chicago Bulls, the New Orlean Pelicans and the New York Knicks.
The 6-foot-2-inch guard pointed out that he is from the USA, home of the NBA, which is the greatest league in the world.
He added that it's in the NBA where he would love to play and believes he could make it as a sixth man as an "energy-type guy" who can score coming off the bench.
Nonetheless, Fredette sees China as "a great opportunity" to "make a lot of money" and where fans were great and more than he could imagine.
Called "Jimo" by Shanghai fans to mean "loneliness master," Fredette initially felt that the term was "kind of depressing."
However, there is no Chinese equivalent of "Jimmer," so they ended up using the word that resembles it the closest.
With all the positive things happening in his stint with the CBA, which begins its playoff on Feb. 19, Fredette now loves the name and calls its a "huge honor" that he can hold on to.
