BYU guard Jimmer Fredette addresses the media during an NCAA college basketball press conference, Friday, March 19, 2010, in Oklahoma City.
Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press
Jimmermania returned Wednesday when Jimmer Fredette met up with women’s basketball legend Sue Bird and college basketball star Caitlin Clark.
The famous trio appears on a new episode of ESPN+’s “Sue’s Places,” which was released ahead of the Iowa Hawkeye’s latest chance to make college basketball history.
Clark is expected to break Kelsey Plum’s record Thursday and become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball. Clark is eight points shy of passing the record.
What players did Caitlin Clark look up to?
In the new episode of “Sue’s Places,” Clark told Bird that growing up, she looked up to Maya Moore, Stephen Curry and Fredette.
“I vividly remember Jimmer Fredette’s tournament run,” she said. “Me and my cousins just would watch all of his games, watch his highlights on YouTube, so I’ve always been a big Jimmer fan.”
Clark would have only been 9 years old at the height of Jimmermania when Fredette and the Cougars advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament and when Fredette was named the national player of the year in 2011.
What did Jimmer Fredette say about Caitlin Clark?
Bird asked Fredette — “one of the OG, long-range 3-point shooters,” as Bird called him — what it’s been like to watch Clark follow in his footsteps.
“It’s been awesome,” he said. “She has really been such an incredible player to watch. As soon as I heard of her, I was like, ‘I got to check her out.’ I remember last year during the (NCAA) tournament tuning in and watching every single Iowa game — what an exciting time that was.”
Fredette loves watching Clark, especially because of the similarities between their 3-point shots.
“She’s an amazing player, shoots from everywhere,” he said. “She moves a little bit forward when she shoots those long-range shots. She uses her momentum, and I do the same thing. It’s fun to see someone who is playing at her highest level at this point, and this point of her career is incredible. So I’m excited to be able to challenge her.”
A shooting contest then kicked off with Clark asking Fredette to “teach her how to Jimmer,” referencing the rap made about Fredette.
Bird didn’t participate in the contest. Instead, she picked where Fredette and Clark would shoot from by moving a giant vinyl cutout of her face around the court.
Both Fredette and Clark made their first two shots. Because Bird thought that was too easy for “two of the best 3-point shooters from the logo of all-time,” she moved the logo out of bounds.
Clark went first and made her shot, but Fredette’s bounced off the rim.
To make the contest more interesting, they then tried to make shots from the bleachers. Clark went first and missed her shot, prompting Fredette to forego his shot, giving Clark the 3-2 victory over the former Cougar.
Clark enjoyed talking trash after her victory and told Fredette and Bird that “it’s been fun to hang out with two people that invented the 3-point shot.”
Bird responded, “I’m not that old.”
What is Jimmer Fredette up to now?
Fredette last played in the NBA in 2019 — but his basketball career is far from over.
This summer, Fredette is expected to represent the U.S. at the Olympics in Paris as a member of the 3×3 basketball team after helping the team qualify in November.
Fredette and Team USA finished second in the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup, and his play last year earned him the honor of being named USA Basketball’s 3×3 Male Athlete of the Year, the Deseret News previously reported.
Fredette has also dabbled in broadcasting this year as a studio analyst for BYUtv and has called BYU women’s basketball games.
In March, Fredette will teach a beginner’s genealogy class with his wife, Whitney Fredette, at RootsTech 2024, according to Church News. Kids ages 8-14 will also have a chance to shoot with the former Cougar.