Rob Baker
October 27, 2025
Freddie Gillespie
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 14/06/1997
- Place of Birth: Saint Paul, Minnesota (USA)
- Position: CTR
- Height (CM): 208
- Weight (KG): 111
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Carleton College (2015–2017) / Baylor University (2017–2020)
NBL CAREER OVERVIEW
NBL DEBUT
29/09/24
Age 27
LAST NBL GAME
16/11/24
Age 27
TEAM HISTORY
- New Zealand2025
CHAMPIONSHIPS
NoneBIO: Freddie Gillespie was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Freddie Gillespie made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 27 years of age. He scored five points in his first game.
New Zealand reworked its roster after Anthony Lamb (to Trento), William McDowell-White (to Berlin), Izayah Le’Afa (to Sydney), Justinian Jessup (to Ulm), Finn Delany (to Shizuoka), Mantas Rubstavicius (to Panevezys), Zylan Cheatham (to Nagoya), Mangok Mathiang (to Ningbo), Dan Fotu and Dom Kelman-Poto exited the team, while Thomas Abercrombie and Cameron Gliddon retired. Parker Jackson-Cartwright returned as the team’s leading scorer, with Max Darling, Dane Pineau, Carlin Davison and Alex McNaught also remaining.
Head coach Mody Maor (to Nagasaki) was replaced by Petteri Koponen (via Helsinki), who added Matt Mooney (via Trento), Sam Mennenga (via Cairns), Mojave King (via Indiana), Mitch McCarron (via Adelaide), Jonah Bolden (via Sydney), Sean Bairstow (via Richmond), Grant Anticevich (via Gottingen), Freddie Gillespie (via Belgrade), Karim Lopez (via Badalona) and Kaia Isaac (via Canterbury).
A preseason headbutt on Sydney’s Shaun Bruce resulted in the new import centre receiving a one-game suspension, forcing him to miss New Zealand’s opening victory over Brisbane. The former NBA centre made his NBL debut against South East Melbourne on 29 September, contributing 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in 16 minutes as the Breakers won 81-79 and improved to 2-0.
Gillespie (6.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks across 9 games) came off the bench in every appearance and supplied New Zealand with rebounding, rim protection and efficient finishing, shooting 68 percent from the field and leading the NBL in blocks at the time of his departure.
One of his strongest defensive games came against Perth on 19 October, where Gillespie (5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3 blocks) protected the paint as New Zealand defeated the Wildcats 89-85. Tai Webster (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) led Perth, while the victory moved the Breakers to 3-1.
Gillespie (11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks) then made all four of his field-goal attempts in a 93-89 road win over Sydney on 27 October, giving New Zealand an important interior presence as the Breakers improved to 4-2.
His best game of the season came against Adelaide on 2 November, where Gillespie (13 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocks) shot 6-of-7 from the field and controlled the paint as New Zealand won 109-82. Montrezl Harrell (25 points and 6 rebounds) led Adelaide, while the result lifted the Breakers into first place with a 5-2 record.
Two nights later, Gillespie (7 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block) remained efficient as New Zealand defeated Melbourne 113-79, giving the Breakers their fourth consecutive victory and improving their record to 6-2.
Gillespie (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block) was one of New Zealand’s better performers during an 83-64 loss to Tasmania, before recording 8 points and 8 rebounds in a 77-69 road win over Cairns on 16 November. Rob Edwards (33 points and 5 rebounds) led the Taipans, but Gillespie helped the Breakers regain top spot on the ladder and enter the FIBA break with a 7-3 record.
The Cairns victory proved to be his final game for New Zealand, with Gillespie granted his requested release (to Milan) two days later. Tacko Fall (via Nanjing) replaced him on the roster for the remainder of the season.
In a January 2025 Newstalk ZB interview, former Breakers owner Matt Walsh was reported in a contemporary social-media summary as describing Gillespie as unhappy when he first arrived in New Zealand. The description was Walsh’s reported assessment, not an established explanation for Gillespie’s departure; the club had granted Gillespie a release in November 2024 at his own request. Walsh’s reported January characterisation contrasted with his public October 2024 praise of Gillespie’s professionalism.
Sources: Newstalk ZB interview (24 January 2025), as summarised by @SuperCoachPleb on 27 January; NBL reporting of Walsh’s October 2024 comments.
Jackson-Cartwright (18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.6 steals across 21 games) and Mooney (16.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals across 29 games) led New Zealand offensively, while Mennenga (11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds across 29 games), Fall (11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks across 18 games) and Lopez (9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds across 25 games) provided the other main contributions.
After beginning the season 7-3 with Gillespie in the rotation, New Zealand won only three of its final 19 games and finished ninth with a 10-19 record, missing the postseason.
Freddie Gillespie played one season in the NBL. He averaged 6.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 9 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 27 | New Zealand | 10-19 (9) | 9 | 170 | 62 | 48 | 5 | 14 | 34 | 5 | 16 | 9 | 28 | 27 | 40 | 68% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 8 | 14 | 57% | 67% | 68% | 13 | Totals | 9 | 170 | 62 | 48 | 5 | 14 | 34 | 5 | 16 | 9 | 28 | 27 | 40 | 67.5% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 8 | 14 | 57.1% | 67% | 68% | 13 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 27 | New Zealand | 10-19 (9) | 9 | 18.8 | 6.9 | 5.3 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 68% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.9 | 1.6 | 57% | 67% | 68% | 13 | Total | 9 | 18.8 | 6.9 | 5.3 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 67.5% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0.9 | 1.6 | 57.1% | 67% | 68% | 13 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 13 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
-
Germany
- Bayern Munich2022–2023, 2023–2024
Serbia
- Crvena zvezda2023–2024
Freddie Gillespie spent the 2022–2023 season in Germany after signing a two-year deal with Bayern Munich on 25 July 2022, joining an EuroLeague roster that included Nick Weiler-Babb and Vladimir Lučić while competing in the EuroLeague and the Basketball Bundesliga.
Gillespie’s first EuroLeague season with Bayern in 2022–2023 included 34 appearances and 26 starts, and he averaged 4.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 block per game, establishing a defensive rim-protection role while playing alongside teammates such as Weiler-Babb and Lučić in Bayern’s frontcourt rotation.
During that same 2022–2023 campaign, Bayern won the German Cup, with Weiler-Babb named the competition’s MVP, and Gillespie remained with the club into the following season as Bayern continued its EuroLeague and domestic schedule.
Gillespie spent the opening portion of the 2023–2024 season in Germany with Bayern Munich, appearing in 13 EuroLeague games and averaging 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game before leaving mid-season.
Gillespie spent the remainder of the 2023–2024 season in Serbia with Crvena zvezda after signing on 18 December 2023, playing EuroLeague and Adriatic League basketball alongside teammates including Miloš Teodosić, Nemanja Nedović and Joel Bolomboy, and he finished his EuroLeague run with Crvena zvezda by appearing in 15 games and averaging 2.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game.
In 2023–2024, Gillespie played for KK Crvena Zvesda where he was second in Euroleague in block percentage.
COLLEGE
Freddie Gillespie played college basketball at Division III Carleton College during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons before transferring to Baylor University, where he redshirted in 2017-18 and then competed from 2018-19 through 2019-20.
Gillespie’s Carleton career began with limited court time as a freshman in 2015-16, when he appeared in 4 games and totaled 4 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 16 total minutes, averaging 1.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks in 4.0 minutes per game while shooting 2-for-4 from the field (50.0%) and 0-for-2 at the free throw line.
As a sophomore in 2016-17, he moved into a major role for Carleton, playing 27 games with 23 starts and averaging 10.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in 22.8 minutes per game while shooting 53.2% from the field, and he led the MIAC with 69 total blocked shots while earning second-team All-MIAC and All-MIAC Defensive Team recognition during that season.
During that 2016-17 Carleton season, his production increased across the second half of the schedule to 11.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and he recorded a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting against Saint Mary’s on January 25, 2017, while also collecting MIAC Men’s Basketball Athlete-of-the-Week honours on February 13, 2017 after averaging 15.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks across two Carleton wins.
Gillespie transferred to Baylor in the summer of 2017 as a walk-on, then sat out the 2017-18 season to satisfy NCAA transfer requirements while redshirting, and he earned a Baylor scholarship announcement on May 17, 2018 heading into his first active Division I season.
In his Baylor debut season in 2018-19, Gillespie played 26 games with 11 starts and averaged 5.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, with his season including a 7-point, 7-rebound debut in 22 minutes against Texas Southern on November 6, 2018, his first Division I start coming against Southern on November 10, 2018, and a key late-season run after Tristan Clark’s season-ending injury, which included an 11-point, 7-rebound, 3-block performance against TCU on February 2, 2019, a 13-point, 9-rebound effort versus Kansas State on February 9, 2019, and his first Baylor double-double at Iowa State on February 19, 2019 with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 31 minutes.
Baylor finished 20–14 overall in 2018-19 and reached the NCAA Tournament second round, with Gillespie going 4-for-4 from the field in the tournament win over Syracuse on March 21, 2019 while posting 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 20 minutes, before Baylor’s season ended with a 83–71 loss to Gonzaga on March 23, 2019 in which he logged 19 minutes and produced 4 points and 2 rebounds while going 2-for-4 from the field.
As a redshirt senior in 2019-20, Gillespie started all 30 games for Baylor and averaged 9.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, and he was named Big 12 Player of the Week on December 9, 2019 after posting career-highs of 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a win over No. 12 Arizona while also delivering 13 rebounds and 5 blocks in a midweek victory over Maryland Eastern Shore, then finished the season as the Big 12 Most Improved Player while also earning Second Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Defensive Team recognition as Baylor went 26–4 overall in 2019-20.
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