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Jimmer Fredette signs with Yao Ming's Shanghai Sharks

Can he recapture Jimmermania in China with Yao Ming's team?

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmer Fredette, former 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft has officially signed in China with the Shanghai Sharks, who are owned by former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming.

Fredette was a unanimous National Player of the Year at BYU, and he also owns both the BYU all-time scoring record and the record for the Mountain West Conference. He was also named the Best Male College Athlete in the 2011 ESPY awards.

Following his highly decorated college career, Fredette was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Sacramento Kings, where Jimmermania, the slightly older cousin of Linsanity, immediately took hold. Unlike Linsanity, however, Jimmermania never did quite get off the ground.

He occasionally flashed the scoring and shooting prowess that made him a star at BYU, but his deficiencies on the defensive end were glaring (he holds a -3.8 career defensive plus-minus), and he bounced around the Association, spending time with the Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.

Jimmer sports career averages of 6.0 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.4 assists to go along with 41.2 percent shooting from the field and 38.1 percent from deep, as he joined Adam Morrison and Tyler Hansbrough as other recent NCAA Players of the Year to flop at the professional level.

Jimmermania might not be 100 percent dead yet, however, as recent Chinese Basketball Association star, former NBA flame out and current Houston Rocket reclamation project Michael Beasley can attest to. Similar to Beasley, Fredette has always been a talented offensive player, and gaining some confidence and re-finding his shot and some momentum in the CBA could be just what he needs if he hopes to give himself another shot at the NBA.

For now, though, he'll play alongside fellow former NBAers A.J. Price and Bernard James on Yao's Sharks and look to to recapture that Jimmer magic in Shanghai. The CBA season ends in February, so if he performs well, he could potentially find himself back in the Association by spring of next year.