News
Interviews
Freddie Gillespie, Bayern: 'Anything that happens in life is an opportunity'

Freddie Gillespie, Bayern: 'Anything that happens in life is an opportunity'

Interviews

21 February 20236 Mins read

Freddie Gillespie, Bayern: 'Anything that happens in life is an opportunity'

The book on Freddie Gillespie when FC Bayern Munich signed him was that he was a smart and physically gifted big man who might need some time to figure things out at the highest level of European basketball. And to date, that has been the case; he has flashed moments of brilliance – particularly on defense and rebounding.

Bayern fans would be wise to show patience with Gillespie because, as his track record shows, he loves basketball and will not let anyone or anything stop him from becoming a more complete player.

As a child, Gillespie's first love was American football, which he played through 11th grade, though his mother had him sample many different after-school activities.

"I did like Spanish club, I did debate in high school, speech. A lot of things like that: track, basketball, rope course; I played football," he recalled. "She put me in tennis during the summer one time."

Gillespie took to basketball in eighth grade and planned to play as a high school freshman, but he broke his ankle during tryouts.

"I wasn't crazy in love with basketball at that point, so it was like, 'Oh, you know, bad luck. I just won't play that year,'" Gillespie recounted. "I wasn't going to play my 10th-grade year, but the coach came by and he said, 'I really want you to play. I think you'll be really good.' So I chose to play and I fell in love with it… It's about a decade later now and I still don't want to stop playing."

Injuries continued to plague Gillespie. He tore his ACL in 11th grade, and even though he returned to action for 12th grade, did not attract any high-level college interest. So, he opted to stay close to home in Minnesota and study computer science at Carleton College, a Division III school. Pro basketball was the furthest thing from his mind.

Carleton did have a basketball team where Gillespie was able to play, but despite his natural talent, the coaching staff did not believe in him at first. "I only played 16 minutes as a freshman. How? I don't know," Gillespie said.

To deal with his frustration, Gillespie doubled down with hard work.

"During that time that I was not playing, I was always in the gym, going to the gym at night, going in the morning, going after class, working on what I could work on to improve my game, and that's what I did most of the time.

"In my opinion, anything that happens in life is an opportunity… so I wasn't playing I said, 'Okay, cool. I'm not playing, but I could still get better.' And when I was playing, it was an opportunity to show how I could compete against other people. So, I just trying to forge my own path forward."

As Gillespie realized more and more just how much he loved basketball, he resolved to fight for the opportunity to play more.

"Deep, deep down, playing basketball still brings me happiness and makes me feel fulfilled in life. So, when you know that that's what you ultimately want to do and that's what makes you the happiest, it's tough to walk away, even when you're going through rehab and not playing. You know that's the thing that makes life worth living," he said.

Gillespie flourished in his sophomore season as a starter and was named to the all-conference second team. While watching some of the top college teams in America on television, he decided he wanted that challenge.

"Deep, deep down, playing basketball still brings me happiness and makes me feel fulfilled in life."

Word reached Baylor University head coach Scott Drew, who was convinced to give him a shot. However, there were still hurdles. Gillespie did not receive an athletic scholarship. Moreover, as a transfer student, according to the NCAA rules at the time, he would need to sit out a season before becoming eligible to suit up for the Bears.

The adjustments Gillespie made and the hard work he put in, along with the coaching he got at Baylor, catapulted him forward as a player that year, despite not being able to play.

"It was a lot of work, a lot of it was just learning the game. The jump from Division III to Division I, the athletes were just way better, so that was an adjustment," Gillespie said. "The bodies and the length, the size and the strength were worlds different. They were so much better. The quickness, the pace of play, the way they played the game, the skill level… all that was just a huge adjustment."

How much did Gillespie improve? Enough that he became a rotation player as a junior and then received a scholarship and became a starter as a senior for one of the best college programs in the country.

"My senior year was a fun year before COVID hit," he noted. "We got to be the No. 1 team in the country [in the weekly polls], we got to go on one of the longest win streaks in the Big 12. I got to play against some great players."

Gillespie was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team, as well as the Big 12 All-Defensive team, and he eventually signed a professional contract with the NBA's Toronto Raptors. He also played for the Orlando Magic in the NBA, in addition to Memphis in the G League, before moving to Germany this summer.

After a turbulent journey to get to this point, everything is lined up for Gillespie to take the next step in his career and become a player who regularly makes an impact in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.