Finding Strength in Faith: Jimmer Fredette's Olympic Journey

Jimmer Fredette, a well-known basketball player, recently shared how his faith helped him cope with a tough situation. He talked about this on a podcast called “Two Point Conversion” with former BYU teammates Connor Pay and Chase Roberts. They discussed some religious texts that talk about finding strength during hard times. Fredette talked about a time when he was in a tough spot. He compared it to being in prison, not literally, but feeling stuck and asking, “Where are you, God? ” He talked about a phrase that stood out to him: “but a small moment. ” He said that even though hard times feel long to us, they might be just a short time in the bigger picture. Before the 2024 Olympics, Fredette had to make a big decision. He prayed about whether to join the USA Basketball team or retire and spend time with his family. He felt strongly that he should go for it. He trained hard for a year and a half, playing in places like Mongolia and Chile. His team was ranked number one in the world, and he was the reigning player of the year. But things didn’t go as planned. In the Olympics, his team lost their first game but still had a chance to win a medal. Then, in the second game, Fredette got injured just one minute in. He heard a pop and knew his Olympics were over. He had torn some ligaments and had to go through 10 months of rehab. Fredette was upset and wondered why this happened to him, especially at the Olympics. But he said he had been through other tough times before and knew that winning a medal wasn’t the most important thing. He focused on being a good father, husband, and teammate. He said that having faith and knowing what really matters helped him get through it. Fredette said that instead of feeling sorry for himself, he used this time to learn and grow. He read religious texts and kept an “eternal perspective. ” He said that relationships and being a good example to others are more important than winning games.