Former NBA lottery pick Jimmer Fredette has confirmed that he’ll rejoin the Shanghai Sharks in China for the 2020/21 season, announcing the news on Instagram.
Emiliano Carchia of Sportando first reported in July that Fredette would return to Shanghai, though at the time agent Chris Emens denied that there was an agreement in place between the two sides. Carchia indicated in July that the deal was expected to be worth $1.6MM.
The 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Fredette has appeared in a total of 241 NBA regular season contests, most recently seeing action in six games for the Suns in 2018/19. However, his NBA production has been modest and he has enjoyed greater success in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Fredette played for Shanghai from 2016-19, earning CBA All-Star honors three times and averaging approximately 37 PPG over those three seasons. He spent the 2019/20 season with Panathinaikos, averaging 12.9 PPG with a .417 3PT% in 27 EuroLeague games. Panathinaikos was crowned the Greek League champion when the season was shut down to COVID-19.
Since Fredette is still just 31 years old, another NBA comeback remains a possibility. But he has been able to play a greater role for teams in Europe and Asia while earning salaries comparable to the NBA’s minimum, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he finishes his career overseas.
31 ppg in China vs 3ish ppg here…..that just about sums up everything I need to know about pro Chinese basketball.
Its not just basketball there, its a culture just like here. See Stephon Marbury, he became legendized playing in the cba. “The Lonely God” is well on his way to join Starbury in that status there.