SALT LAKE CITY — The Jimmer Fredette experiment with the Golden State Warriors is reportedly over.
The former BYU star left the Warriors’ summer league team after two games in the three-day California Challenge and will not play in the Las Vegas summer league tournament that begins Friday, according to Mark Medina of The Mercury News.
Medina reported that Fredette will weigh some overseas opportunities and didn’t want to risk injury in the NBA summer league, where the veteran was playing alongside rookies and other younger players.
In two games, Fredette averaged 9.5 points while shooting 44 percent from the field and 14 percent from 3-point range. He did not play in the Warriors’ 73-65 loss to the Miami Heat Wednesday.
He had 14 points and seven rebounds in the Warriors' summer-league opening loss to Sacramento, but followed that up with five points and one assist in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday. He had five turnovers in the two games.
"That veteran leadership he provided for us, we appreciate what he did with us. We wish him well. I’m not exactly sure what’s going on with him but I know definitely he’s still got a lot of basketball left in him," Warriors summer league head coach Aaron Miles told Medina and other reporters following Wednesday's game.
Fredette signed a two-year deal with the Phoenix Suns late in the 2018-19 NBA season, but the Suns did not pick up the team option for next season, allowing him to play for Golden State in the summer league.
The former Cougar has played with five NBA teams: Sacramento (2011-14), Chicago (2014), New Orleans (2014-15), New York (2016) and Phoenix (2019). Fredette also played one season in the NBA G League with the Knicks' affiliate team in Westchester.
Prior to joining the Suns in March, he played three seasons with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, earning CBA International MVP honors in the 2016-17 season.
”Obviously, the summer league, there’s a lot of people watching. So you never know who’s going to be watching you or anything like that. It’s just a good opportunity to play and I’m grateful for the Warriors for giving me that chance,” Fredette told reporters during a team media season last Friday.