On the eve of running in a long-distance race to celebrate Pioneer Day in Utah on Monday, former BYU basketball star Jimmer Fredette has apparently agreed to return to China to play basketball this fall and winter.
Fredette has agreed to remain with the Shanghai Sharks, signing a deal worth around $1.8 million, according to David Pick, an international basketball reporter.
Fredette, 28, will represent his charities, Jimmerosity and the Fredette Family Foundation, on Monday as part of the Deseret News Marathon, 10K, 5K and Half-Marathon. He will participate in the 5K on the streets of Salt Lake City before the annual Days of '47 Parade.
The consensus College Basketball Player of the Year in 2011 while playing for BYU, Fredette played for the Sharks last season and was named the regular-season Most Valuable International Player. He averaged 37 points per game, and scored 73 points in a single game, a double-overtime loss.
Shanghai, which is owned by former NBA center Yao Ming, went 30-8 in the regular season with Fredette as its leader.
He shot 47.4 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from the 3-point line for the Sharks. He also averaged 8.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Fredette quickly became a fan favorite in Shanghai, and was nicknamed "Jimo Dashen," which translated roughly means the "Lonely Master."
The Chinese Basketball Association season goes from October to February, and includes just 38 games. It is not clear whether Fredette's family — his wife Whitney and newborn daughter Wesley — will accompany him to China this time around. Whitney stayed in the family's home in the Denver area last winter as she was expecting Wesley at the time.
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