Their Fifth Foreigner: Freddie Gillespie Signs with Ironi Ness Ziona
The center (29, 2.06m), who previously played for Bayern Munich, Crvena Zvezda, and Milan, joins the team. Last season, he recorded 5.7 points per game in the Turkish league for Galatasaray.
Ironi Ness Ziona announced this evening (Sunday) the addition of center Freddie Gillespie ahead of the upcoming season, as we reported about two weeks ago. Gillespie's signing brings the number of foreigners for the 'Oranges' to five, and now Ness Ziona must decide whether to add a sixth foreigner to complete the roster or leave it as it is.
"I am excited to arrive in Ness Ziona. I look forward to meeting my teammates, the coaches, and of course the fans. I am sure that together we can have a great season. See you soon," said Gillespie in the club's press release.
Gillespie (29, 2.06m) played for two years at Carleton University in Division 3, and from there moved for two years to the strong Baylor program, where he was immediately known as a talented defensive player. He began his professional career with a season in the G-League with a double-double average, and from there received an opportunity in Toronto, for whom he played 20 games. The following season he repeated the same path, finishing the season with nine games for Orlando.
At the start of the 2022/23 season, he went to Europe for the first time, signing with Bayern Munich, where he recorded 4.3 points and 6 rebounds in the EuroLeague. He started the following season at Bayern and then moved to Crvena Zvezda. He began the 2024/25 season with the New Zealand Breakers, left early in the season, and moved to Milan for another stint in the EuroLeague, during which he suffered a scary injury and lost consciousness during a game in March 2025. Last season, he moved to Galatasaray, where he averaged 5.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in the Turkish league, and 5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in the BCL.
Gillespie is Ness Ziona's fifth foreigner, alongside Paris Lee and Jacob Wiley who joined this summer, and Jackson Rowe and Bryce Brown who continue with the team from last season. The Israeli roster of the 'Oranges' includes Spencer Weisz, Adam Ariel, Vincent Amsalem, Bnia Sror, T.J. Cline, and Noam Dovrat.
