Gist was considered for a time one of the best forward-centers in Europe, due to his defensive abilities and for his dunks, alley-oops, and his athleticism.

[8] At the time of his graduation, Gist was fourth all-time in blocked shots for Maryland, with 231, tenth in rebounds, with 783, and seventeenth in points scored, with 1,414 (later surpassed by Greivis Vásquez).

After spending a year with the Italian League club Biella,[10] Gist signed a contract with the Russian team Lokomotiv-Kuban for the 2009–10 season.

[17] On August 15, 2012, Gist signed one-year deal (with an option for one more season) with the Spanish League club Unicaja Málaga.

[20] Gist joined the legendary Greek League club Panathinaikos, in December 2012, as part of a trade with Andy Panko.

[22] On March 17, 2015, Panathinaikos announced that they had agreed to terms with Gist to renew his contract for an extra two years, keeping him in Athens until 2017.

[23] On April 5, 2015, Gist again tested positive for cannabis use, for the second time in his career, after the Greek Cup final against Apollon Patras.