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 is famous for winning two NBA championships with the Miami Heat. He won these titles in 2012 and 2013, which were his first two years in the NBA. He made it to the playoffs in almost all of his seven NBA seasons.
Contents
Early Life and High School Success
Norris Cole grew up in Dayton, Ohio. He was a fantastic basketball player at Dunbar High School. During his junior and senior years, he led his team to win two state championships in a row. He even played alongside Daequan Cook, who also became an NBA player. They later played against each other in the 2012 NBA Finals!
Norris was planning to go to Walsh University for football. But then, the basketball coach from Cleveland State, Gary Waters, convinced him to play basketball instead.
College Journey at Cleveland State
Norris Cole played college basketball for the Cleveland State Vikings. On December 15, 2008, he helped his team achieve a huge win. They beat the #11 ranked Syracuse Orange team. This was only Cleveland State's third win ever against a top 25 team.
His skills kept getting better throughout his college career. In his final year, he averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. One amazing game saw him score 41 points, grab 20 rebounds, and make 9 assists!
Norris received many awards for his great performance. He was the first player in his league to be named both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. His jersey number, 30, was even retired by Cleveland State in 2016. This is a big honor for a college player.
NBA Career: Miami Heat
Norris Cole was chosen by the Chicago Bulls in the 2011 NBA draft. He was the 28th player picked overall. However, he was quickly traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and then to the Miami Heat.
He made a strong impression in his first game with the Heat. He scored 15 points in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics. He finished that game with 20 points, helping his team win.
In his rookie year (2011–12 season), Norris averaged 6.8 points per game. He was the backup point guard for the team. He made two important three-pointers in Game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals. This helped the Heat make a comeback. Norris won his first NBA championship when the Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the 2012–13 season, Cole played in 80 games. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.1 assists. He scored 18 points in two games against the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs. The Heat made it to the Finals again, and Norris won his second championship! They defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a thrilling seven-game series.
For the 2013–14 season, Cole played in all 82 games. He averaged 6.4 points and 3 assists. The Heat reached the NBA Finals for the fourth time in a row. However, they lost to the San Antonio Spurs this time.
In the 2014–15 season, Norris started his first opening-night game. He scored a career-high 23 points in a win against the Washington Wizards. He played 47 games for the Heat that season before being traded.
Moving On: New Orleans Pelicans
On February 19, 2015, Norris Cole was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. He made his debut for the Pelicans two days later. He scored 12 points and helped his new team win. He stepped in for the injured Jrue Holiday. The Pelicans made the playoffs but were swept by the Golden State Warriors.
Norris re-signed with the Pelicans in September 2015. On February 6, 2016, he scored a career-high 26 points in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played 45 games for the Pelicans that season.
Playing Overseas
After his time in the NBA, Norris Cole began playing basketball in other countries.
China and Oklahoma City
In October 2016, Cole signed with the Shandong Golden Stars in China. He played 9 games there before returning to the NBA. In March 2017, he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played 13 games for them.
Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)
In August 2017, Norris signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv, an Israeli team. He had a great game on November 30, 2017, scoring 26 points. He helped Maccabi win the 2018 Israeli League Championship. This was his third career championship title!
Italy and Montenegro
In August 2018, Cole joined the Italian team Sidigas Avellino. He had an amazing debut, scoring 21 points and making 13 assists. A few days later, he scored a career-high 34 points in another game. He was named the Champions League Gameday MVP twice! He later joined the Montenegrin team Budućnost Podgorica in December 2018.
France and Spain
In November 2019, Cole signed with Monaco in France. He then played for ASVEL Basket in France during the 2020–21 season. In August 2021, he signed with Unicaja in Spain. He later joined JL Bourg, another French team, in March 2022.
G League and Egypt
In November 2022, Cole joined the Grand Rapids Gold in the NBA G League. In August 2023, he signed with the Egyptian champions Al Ahly. He helped Al Ahly win their first game ever in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. He then played for the NBA G League Ignite from late 2023 to 2024.
Current Team
Since April 2024, Norris Cole has been playing for the Osos de Manatí team.
Career Statistics
Norris Cole has had a long and successful career in basketball. He played 360 NBA games, averaging 7.0 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game. In the playoffs, he played 68 games, averaging 4.3 points and 1.4 assists. His time in the EuroLeague also saw him average 14.0 points and 4.1 assists over 43 games.
Personal Life
Norris Cole was a very smart student in high school. He was a member of the National Honor Society and was the salutatorian (the second-highest-ranking student) of his graduating class. He earned a degree in health sciences from Cleveland State University.
He is also the cousin of Trent Cole, a retired professional football player.
Images for kids
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Cole (center) during the Heat's 2012 Championship Parade in Miami
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Cole in a game with teammate LeBron James and opposing point guard Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers
In Spanish: Norris Cole para niños
