Jimmer Fredette tells BYU-Hawaii students to make Jesus Christ their Plan A

Jimmer Fredette always had a Plan A he was working toward, and for most of his life, the plan was unchanged.

From a young age, basketball was his life and dream, he told BYU-Hawaii students in his devotional address Tuesday.

“I always had one goal in mind, and that goal or that plan was to play basketball and to make it to the NBA,” he said. “So, ever since I was a kid, that is all I could remember that I wanted to do. I’d wake up thinking about it. I’d daydream at school about it.”

Fredette shared his journey of pursuing that plan and how an apostle’s challenge led him to establishing a new Plan A. Here are three takeaways from his address.

Seeking and following revelation

BYU was on Fredette’s radar but not at the top of his list of programs he was considering. At his dad’s suggestion, he decided to consider BYU “as long as it supported me in pursuing my Plan A of making the NBA,” he said.

Following his freshman year of high school, Fredette attended a BYU basketball camp to get the attention of the coaching staff.

“Coming from a small town in upstate New York, who knew if they would ever notice me or be able to see me play if I didn’t go out there?” he said. “When we got there, my game stood out.”

That later led to BYU offering Fredette a scholarship, but Fredette also had a scholarship offer from Siena University, which was close to home and had a strong basketball program.

“I decided to do the thing that I thought was best at the time and turn to the Lord,” Fredette said. “After praying and thinking about it for weeks, I had a very distinct feeling that I needed to choose BYU, and I knew that it would provide me the best chance to accomplish my Plan A.”

“I realized that my Plan A wasn’t going to work out the way that I had imagined, but when I made the Savior my Plan A, he showed me an even greater plan.”

—  Jimmer Fredette

That decision paid off. At BYU, Fredette took the world by storm and Jimmer-mania swept the country. He was interviewed by every major outlet and television program. ESPN even introduced a “Jimmer Tracker” onscreen graphic to track his scoring when BYU was playing.

“My life was completely changed,” he said. “I was a mini celebrity and my Plan A was right on track. I was on top of the world, felt untouchable, and I thought I had nowhere to go but up.”

He was the consensus national player of the year and First-Team All-American and broke BYU’s all-time scoring record. In the summer of 2011, he was drafted 10th overall by the Sacramento Kings. He had accomplished his Plan A.

An apostolic invitation

But things quickly went downhill for Fredette in the NBA. He was no longer the beloved player he was at BYU.

“Within the first two weeks of me being there in my rookie season, our coach was fired. I wasn’t playing much, and when I did, I was very inconsistent. … I was losing confidence in myself, wondering if I was even good at basketball anymore, or if I could make it in the league.”

Fredette felt alone and “was really down mentally and physically,” he said.

“A few short months before, I was on the top of the world and everyone was praising me, and now the same people that were previously praising me were now harshly criticizing me,” he said. “Social media comments were harsh and were mean and at times nothing positive was coming out of the situation, only negative.”

After a December practice while Fredette was in the thick of that low, he saw Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had left him a message.

“Hello, Jimmer. This is Elder Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve,” Fredette recalled. “I wanted to reach out to you and see how things are going. Please give me a call back when you can.”

They had met once before, and Elder Ballard told him at the time, “Jimmer, if you ever need anything, please reach out,” according to Fredette. But the former BYU star never took the apostle up on his offer.

Fredette couldn’t believe that Elder Ballard had called him, but he returned his call immediately.

“Elder M. Russell Ballard did not know what he had gotten himself into,” Fredette said. “I poured my heart out to him for the next 40 minutes. I told him how unfair everything was, how unhappy I’d been.”

Elder Ballard listened and then asked Fredette one question: “Are you reading the Book of Mormon and studying it daily?”

“Honestly, at that point, I had to admit that I wasn’t, not as consistently as I should have been,” Fredette said.

“With Christ as your Plan A, you’ll be able to withstand the difficulties that inevitably come your way.”

—  Jimmer Fredette

Elder Ballard challenged him read to the Book of Mormon daily for the rest of the season until he had finished it.

“Put some time into it, and if you do this, I promise you, your life will change,” Fredette recalled Elder Ballard promising him.

Fredette started immediately and “read every day like I had never done before,” he said. He gained a new understanding of 2 Nephi 32:3.

“As I did this, my mood shifted,” he said. “My thoughts were more positive and uplifting. I was smiling again. I was so much happier, and the crazy part was that my basketball situation didn’t change at all. I was still not playing much — pretty inconsistent when I did — but my life completely changed.”

Make Jesus Christ your Plan A

Following Elder Ballard’s invitation changed Fredette’s focus in life.

“At that point, my Plan A changed,” he said. “I realized not everything is about basketball. It’s a very cool thing to do and a way I can make a living. But it wasn’t even close to the most important thing in my life.”

Fredette found a new Plan A.

“The focus of our lives should always be Jesus Christ,” he said. “I realized that my Plan A wasn’t going to work out the way that I had imagined, but when I made the Savior my Plan A, he showed me an even greater plan.”

Fredette’s love of basketball returned. Though his NBA career only lasted six seasons, Fredette played abroad for the Shanghai Sharks and Panathinaikos. He later made the switch to 3x3 basketball and represented the U.S. at the 2024 Paris Olympics, though an injury cut his Olympics short.

“I’ve been able to share my testimony of the Savior in China, Greece, Mongolia, Chile, Switzerland, El Salvador, the Olympics, and far beyond that with a new goal of trying to be a light of Christ to my teammates and to everyone I came in contact with,” he said.

Fredette closed his address by encouraging students to determine their Plan A and turn to Jesus Christ.

“Put the Savior at the forefront of your mind,” he said. “Allow him to guide you in all of your decisions. Find something you love and pursue it and enjoy it in this earthly journey. Work hard to establish good habits that help you grow closer to the Savior, such as scripture study, prayer, and uplifting music.”

Fredette promised that those steps would prepare students with “the right mindset” as they faced life’s biggest decisions.

“With Christ as your Plan A, you’ll be able to withstand the difficulties that inevitably come your way,” he said. “But you’ll also be able to handle your successes the right way as well. Jesus Christ is always the answer. Make him your Plan A.”