Freddie Gillespie

Early life

Freddie Gillespie, a Saint Paul, Minnesota native, started out playing football before picking up basketball in eighth grade. He stood 5'11" when he entered East Ridge High School, but a broken ankle on his first day of tryouts kept him off the court as a freshman. By his sophomore year, he had shot up to 6'4" and played junior varsity.

As a junior, he made the varsity squad but tore his ACL late in the season, sidelining him for the summer AAU circuit. He returned healthy for his senior year, though he earned no all-conference nods. Without any Division I or II scholarship offers, Gillespie chose to attend Division III Carleton College.

College career

Gillespie started at Baylor as a walk-on, sat out a season per NCAA transfer rules, and eventually secured a scholarship. During his redshirt junior year, he put up 5.3 points and 4.4 rebounds across 26 games. On December 9, 2019, he earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors with a 17-point, 13-rebound, five-block performance against Arizona. By the regular season's end, he had claimed Big 12 Most Improved Player, Second Team All-Big 12, and All-Defensive Team nods, averaging 9.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Gillespie signed a training camp contract with the Dallas Mavericks but did not make the final roster. On January 11, 2021, the Memphis Hustle selected him with the 2nd overall pick in the 2020–2021 NBA G League draft. In 15 games he averaged 10.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 27.8 minutes, shooting .570 from the field and recording six double-doubles. On April 8, 2021, he signed a 10-day contract with the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto Raptors (2021)

Two days later he made his debut, recording six points, four rebounds, one assist, three steals, and one block in 18 minutes during a 135–115 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On April 14, in a 122–117 win over the San Antonio Spurs, he scored 9 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and recorded 2 blocks, all career-highs. Two days later he reached a new career-high of 10 points, with seven rebounds, in a 113–102 win against the Orlando Magic. On April 18, he signed a second 10-day contract and tied his career-high with 10 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal, going a perfect 4 of 4 from the field in a 112–106 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Three days later he had four points, five rebounds, and a career-high five blocks in a 114–103 win against the Brooklyn Nets. On April 28, he signed for the remainder of the season. He was represented by sports agency Beyond Athlete Management. On May 2, 2021, he had a new career-high of 11 points, with seven rebounds and one steal, in a 121–114 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Return to the Hustle (2021)

On October 13, 2021, he was waived by the Raptors. On October 23, 2021, he re-signed with the Memphis Hustle. In 12 games he averaged 11.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.75 blocks, and 1.17 steals in 33.2 minutes per game, leading the team in rebounding and the entire league in blocked shots. On December 21, 2021, he signed a 10-day contract with the Orlando Magic, and a second 10-day contract on December 31.

Crvena zvezda (2023–2024)

On January 10, 2022, he was reacquired and activated by the Memphis Hustle. On July 25, 2022, he signed with Bayern Munich of the German Basketball Bundesliga until 2024. On December 18, 2023, he left Bayern Munich and signed with Serbian club Crvena zvezda for the rest of the season. On June 10, 2024, he parted ways with the team.