Norris Cole facts for kids
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Cole with Maccabi Tel Aviv in March 2018
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| No. 30 – Osos de Manatí | ||||||||||||||
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| Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | October 13, 1988 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
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| High school | Dunbar (Dayton, Ohio) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Cleveland State (2007–2011) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 28th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2011–present | |||||||||||||
| League | BSN | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Miami Heat | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | New Orleans Pelicans | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Shandong Golden Stars | |||||||||||||
| 2017 | Oklahoma City Thunder | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | |||||||||||||
| 2018 | Sidigas Avellino | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Budućnost | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Monaco | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | ASVEL | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Unicaja | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | JL Bourg | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | Atléticos de San Germán | |||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Grand Rapids Gold | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | Atléticos de San Germán | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | Leones de Ponce | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | Al Ahly | |||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | NBA G League Ignite | |||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Osos de Manatí | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Norris Gene Cole II (born October 13, 1988) is an American professional basketball player. He plays as a point guard for the Osos de Manatí team. Norris Cole is famous for winning two NBA championships in a row. He won these titles in 2012 and 2013 with the Miami Heat.
Contents
Early Life and High School Basketball
Norris Cole grew up in Dayton, Ohio. He was a star basketball player at Dunbar High School. He helped his team win two state championships in a row. This happened during his junior and senior years.
He even played with Daequan Cook in high school. Daequan Cook also became an NBA player. They later played against each other in the 2012 NBA Finals. Norris was planning to play football in college. But then, the basketball coach from Cleveland State convinced him to play basketball instead.
College Basketball Career
Norris Cole played college basketball for the Cleveland State Vikings. In 2008, he helped his team beat the #11 ranked Syracuse Orange. This was a huge win for Cleveland State.
His skills improved a lot during his college years. In his senior year, he averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. He even had an amazing game where he scored 41 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and made 9 assists!
Norris Cole made history in the Horizon League. He was the first player to be named both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. His jersey number 30 was retired by Cleveland State in 2016. This means no other player on the team will wear that number again.
Professional Basketball Journey
Joining the NBA: Miami Heat (2011–2015)
Norris Cole was picked by the Chicago Bulls in the 2011 NBA draft. He was the 28th player chosen overall. But on the same night, his rights were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and then to the Miami Heat.
He quickly showed his talent with the Heat. In his first home game, he scored 15 points in the fourth quarter. This helped the Heat win against the Boston Celtics. He finished that game with 20 points.
Norris Cole won his first NBA championship in his very first year! The Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals. He played an important role as a backup point guard.
In the 2013 NBA playoffs, Norris Cole continued to shine. He scored 18 points in two games against the Chicago Bulls. The Heat made it to the NBA Finals again. They faced the San Antonio Spurs and won in a thrilling 7-game series. This gave Norris Cole his second NBA championship!
He played in all 82 games during the 2013–2014 season. The Heat reached the NBA Finals for the fourth time in a row. They played the San Antonio Spurs again, but this time, the Spurs won the series.
Moving to New Orleans Pelicans (2015–2016)
In February 2015, Norris Cole was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. He quickly became a key player for the team. He helped the Pelicans reach the playoffs that year.
In the 2015–2016 season, he had a career-high game with 26 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played 45 games for the Pelicans that season.
Playing Overseas and Return to NBA (2016–2017)
After his time with the Pelicans, Norris Cole played for the Shandong Golden Stars in China in 2016. He then returned to the NBA in March 2017, signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Success in Europe and Beyond (2017–Present)
In August 2017, Norris Cole signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. He helped them win the 2018 Israeli League Championship. This was his third career championship title!
He continued to play for different teams in Europe, including Sidigas Avellino in Italy and Budućnost Podgorica in Montenegro. In 2019, he joined Monaco in France. He also played for ASVEL Basket and Unicaja.
In 2022, he played for JL Bourg Basket in France. Later that year, he joined the Grand Rapids Gold in the NBA G League.
In August 2023, Norris Cole signed with Al Ahly, an Egyptian team. He played in the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup. His team's win was the first ever for an African club in that competition! After that, he joined the NBA G League Ignite in November 2023.
As of April 2024, Norris Cole plays for the Osos de Manatí in Puerto Rico.
Career Statistics
NBA Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12† | Miami | 65 | 2 | 19.4 | .393 | .276 | .776 | 1.4 | 2.0 | .7 | .0 | 6.8 |
| 2012–13† | Miami | 80 | 4 | 19.9 | .421 | .357 | .650 | 1.6 | 2.1 | .7 | .1 | 5.6 |
| 2013–14 | Miami | 82 | 6 | 24.6 | .414 | .345 | .779 | 2.0 | 3.0 | .9 | .1 | 6.4 |
| 2014–15 | Miami | 47 | 23 | 24.4 | .386 | .265 | .696 | 2.3 | 3.5 | .9 | .2 | 6.3 |
| 2014–15 | New Orleans | 28 | 2 | 24.4 | .444 | .378 | .743 | 1.8 | 3.2 | .5 | .3 | 9.9 |
| 2015–16 | New Orleans | 45 | 23 | 26.6 | .405 | .324 | .800 | 3.4 | 3.7 | .8 | .1 | 10.6 |
| 2016–17 | Oklahoma City | 13 | 0 | 9.6 | .308 | .231 | .800 | .8 | 1.1 | .6 | .0 | 3.3 |
| Career | 360 | 60 | 22.3 | .407 | .324 | .743 | 2.0 | 2.7 | .8 | .1 | 7.0 | |
NBA Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012† | Miami | 19 | 0 | 8.9 | .324 | .250 | .778 | .5 | .6 | .4 | .0 | 1.8 |
| 2013† | Miami | 21 | 0 | 19.9 | .480 | .531 | .737 | 1.9 | 2.0 | .7 | .1 | 6.1 |
| 2014 | Miami | 20 | 0 | 20.2 | .410 | .375 | .867 | 1.1 | 1.8 | .5 | .1 | 4.6 |
| 2015 | New Orleans | 4 | 0 | 26.5 | .417 | .214 | .667 | 1.8 | 1.8 | .0 | .3 | 8.8 |
| 2017 | Oklahoma City | 4 | 0 | 6.1 | .250 | .250 | .0 | .3 | .3 | .0 | .3 | 1.2 |
| Career | 68 | 0 | 16.5 | .421 | .382 | .783 | 1.2 | 1.4 | .4 | .0 | 4.3 | |
College Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Cleveland State | 34 | 0 | 14.4 | .380 | .238 | .817 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 4.9 |
| 2008–09 | Cleveland State | 35 | 33 | 32.8 | .453 | .305 | .804 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 13.3 |
| 2009–10 | Cleveland State | 33 | 33 | 34.2 | .432 | .342 | .799 | 2.8 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 16.3 |
| 2010–11 | Cleveland State | 36 | 36 | 35.7 | .439 | .342 | .853 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 21.7 |
| Career | 138 | 102 | 29.4 | .435 | .321 | .826 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 14.1 | |
Personal Life
Norris Cole was a very good student in high school. He was part of the National Honor Society. He also gave a speech as the salutatorian of his graduating class. He earned a degree in health sciences from Cleveland State.
He is also the cousin of Trent Cole, a retired football player.
See also
In Spanish: Norris Cole para niños
