Gabriel DeAndre Freeman (born November 5, 1985) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. Freeman also has experience with the

London Lightning The London Lightning is a Canadian professional basketball team based in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, with home games at Canada Life Place. The team competes in the Basketball Super League (North America), Basketball Super League. History The ...

in the NBL Canada and steered them to a 2012 Finals victory. He won the ASEAN Basketball League championship with the Philippine Patriots in 2009 and led the San Miguel Beermen to a 2009 PBA Fiesta Conference title earlier that year.

Early life and college

Born in Phoenix, Freeman graduated from McClintock High School of

Tempe, Arizona Tempe ( ; ''Oidbaḍ'' in O'odham language, O'odham) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2020 population of 180,587. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in t ...

in 2004. He attended Southern Utah University but never played a game for the Thunderbirds basketball team. At

Mesa Community College Mesa Community College (MCC) is a Public college, public community college in Mesa, Arizona. It is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the Unite ...

, Freeman was a first-team All-ACCAC selection in the 2006–07 season and averaged 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds.

Professional career

Freeman signed with Correcaminos UAT Reynosa of the Mexican LNBP in 2007 and averaged 22.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in ten games. For part of the 2008–09 season, Freeman played for the Albany Patroons in the CBA. Albany made the CBA Finals but lost to the

Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry The Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry was a professional basketball team based in Lawton, Oklahoma. They played in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) after having been in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). They have one PBL championship an ...

. In 15 games with the Patroons, he averaged 14.3 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game. He wore jersey number 34. He was chosen by the San Miguel Beermen as an import in the middle of the 2008–09 season. He played 24 games and averaged 22.3 points, 15.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. Freeman was awarded the Best Import of the conference. In the following season, Freeman played 29 games for San Miguel and averaged 21.6 points, 17.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. The Philippine Patriots of the ASEAN Basketball League signed Freeman to replace Brandon Powell in January 2010. He did not fail his team and with a hard-fought battle between Ginebra and their fans, he led the San Miguel franchise to its 18th championship, which was also his career first. PBA fans credited his heart and hard work as a big factor in their victory. On July 12, 2010, Freeman signed with the

Townsville Crocodiles The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertain ...

of the NBL of Australia. Freeman re-signed with the Philippine Patriots in December 2010. In the first game of the ASEAN semifinals on January 22, 2011, Freeman scored 36 points and made 11 rebounds and 5 assists in an 88–83 victory over the KL Dragons. On October 21, 2011, it was announced that Freeman had made the final 12-man roster for the

National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; ) was a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketball League teams joined with four new franchis ...

. He wore jersey number 25. Finding immediate success with the Lightning, Freeman was named the first ever NBL Canada Player of the Week for the week ending November 6, an award he would win again for the weeks ending January 1 and March 4, 2012. The Lightning would go on to finish the regular season at 28–8 and gain home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. On March 14, 2012, Freeman was named the NBL Canada's inaugural

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Most Valuable Player. More importantly, however, on March 25 he led the Lightning to a 116–92 victory over the Halifax Rainmen in a deciding Game Five of the NBL Canada Finals to win the NBL Canada's inaugural championship. In addition to his regular-season MVP award, Freeman was named the Finals' MVP. Freeman signed with the PBA team

Barako Bull Energy The Barako Bull Energy were a Philippine Basketball Association that began in 2002 as the FedEx Express. From its first season until 2005, the team was dubbed as the FedEx Express before changing to Air21 Express. From the 2009 PBA Fiesta C ...

on April 2, 2012. In 7 games, Freeman averaged 21.7 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.71 assists, and 1.0 steal. Freeman returned to the Philippine Patriots on September 18, 2012. In January 2013, Freeman again signed with the San Miguel Beermen. On February 26, 2013, the ASEAN league suspended Freeman for a game and issued him a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct. Freeman later suffered an injury and was replaced by Justin Williams. In 2014, a recovered Freeman played with the Rochester Razorsharks in the Premier Basketball League (PBL). He led his team to a PBL title and was named league and playoff most valuable player, with per-game averages of 19 points and 11 rebounds. On November 19, 2015, Freeman signed with the Saint John Mill Rats of the

(NBL). He joined the team with returning player and former

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is known for his leading roles in television shows such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on the comedy series ''Black-ish'' (2014–2022), Marlin Boulet on the ...

. On August 28, 2018, Freeman signed with the St. John's Edge of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL).

Personal life

Freeman has established a foundation in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

for kids without means to play basketball. He is a mechanic and worked out of a motorcycle shop in Phoenix.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Gabe 1985 births Living people Albany Patroons players American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American men's basketball players Barako Bull Energy players Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Basketball players from Phoenix, Arizona Halifax Hurricanes players London Lightning players Mesa Thunderbirds men's basketball players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippine Basketball Association imports Philippine Patriots players Power forwards Saint John Mill Rats players Saint John Riptide players San Miguel Beermen players Southern Utah University alumni Sportspeople from Tempe, Arizona Basketball players from Maricopa County, Arizona St. John's Edge players Townsville Crocodiles players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen