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

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the Halifax Hurricanes of the

National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketb ...

(NBL). He previously played for the Rochester Razorsharks of the

Premier Basketball League The Premier Basketball League, often abbreviated to the PBL, is an American professional men's basketball minor league that began play in January 2008. The league folded after the 2017 season. It was announced that the league would be revived un ...

(PBL) in the United States. Freeman also has experience with the

London Lightning The London Lightning is a Canadian professional basketball team based in London, Ontario, Canada, with home games at the Budweiser Gardens. The team is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) that began play for the 201 ...

in the NBL Canada and steered them to a 2012 Finals victory. He won the

ASEAN Basketball League The ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) is a professional men's basketball league in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong/Macau, which includes six teams from Southeast Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), one tea ...

championship with the

Philippine Patriots The AirAsia Philippine Patriots (originally known as the Philippine Patriots) were a professional basketball team that played in the ASEAN Basketball League. It was the first team from the Philippines to play in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) a ...

in 2009 and led the San Miguel Beermen to a 2009 PBA Fiesta Conference title earlier that year. On August 14, 2018, Freeman was traded to the St. John's Edge in exchange for Alex "Superman" Johnson, a 2018 First Round Draft Pick, and Future Considerations.

Early life and college

Born in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, Freeman graduated from

McClintock High School McClintock High School is a high school located in Tempe, Arizona, approximately two miles southeast of the campus of Arizona State University. McClintock High School was established in 1964. The school was named after James H. McClintock. McCl ...

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

in 2004. He attended

Southern Utah University Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. ...

but never played a game for the Thunderbirds basketball team. At Mesa Community College, 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 after having been in the Continental Basketball Association. They have one PBL championship and also were ...

. 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

of the

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 Entertainmen ...

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 Kuala Lumpur Dragons is a professional basketball team based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that currently plays in the ASEAN Basketball League. It also played as the Blustar Detergent Dragons in the Philippines' PBA Developmental League in 2016. H ...

. On October 21, 2011, it was announced that Freeman had made the final 12-man roster for the

. 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

Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...

Most Valuable Player. More importantly, however, on March 25 he led the Lightning to a 116–92 victory over the

Halifax Rainmen The Halifax Rainmen were a professional basketball team based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. They played in the Atlantic Division of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) and their home games took place at the Scotiabank Centre, ...

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 team 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 Fiest ...

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 Justin Craig Williams (born October 4, 1981) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey right winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, and Washingto ...

. 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 The Saint John Riptide were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Saint John, New Brunswick, that had home games at Harbour Station. They were a member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) in the Atlantic Division ( ...

of the

(NBL). He joined the team with returning player and former Most Valuable Player in

Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on '' K-Ville'', and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama ...

. 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 (pronounced ) 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, approximate ...

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 African-American basketball players 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 (basketball) Saint John Mill Rats players Saint John Riptide players San Miguel Beermen players Southern Utah University alumni Sportspeople from Tempe, Arizona St. John's Edge players Townsville Crocodiles players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people