Norris Gene Cole II was born on October 13,1988 and is an American professional basketball player for Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional.
34 Facts About Norris Cole
2.
Norris Cole was a star at Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio, leading his basketball team to consecutive state championships in his junior and senior years.
3.
Norris Cole was a high school teammate of future NBA player Daequan Cook.
4.
Norris Cole was set to go to Walsh University on a football scholarship when Cleveland State basketball coach Gary Waters decided to recruit him.
5.
Norris Cole's numbers improved over the course of his college basketball career, which culminated in a senior year that saw him average 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game, highlighted by a 41-point, 20-rebound, 9-assist performance against Youngstown State.
6.
Norris Cole was recognized for his accomplishments by being the first person in the Horizon League's men's basketball history to be named both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, earning an AP All-America Honorable Mention, making the USBWA District V team, as well as the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 12 First Team.
7.
Norris Cole was a finalist for the Wooden Award and a "Final Five" finalist for the Bob Cousy Award.
8.
Norris Cole played 140 career games for Cleveland State, averaging 14.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 29.4 minutes per game.
9.
Norris Cole was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft as the 28th pick out of Cleveland State, but in a series of draft night deals, his rights were subsequently traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who then dealt him to the Miami Heat.
10.
Norris Cole finished that game with a total of 20 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals.
11.
Norris Cole became the fourth-fastest rookie in Heat franchise history to score at least 20 points in a game.
12.
Norris Cole was originally left out of the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge, but due to the rising stardom of Jeremy Lin, who was added late to the group, Norris Cole was selected as the 20th rookie in order to even out the competition.
13.
Norris Cole tallied 18 points, 6 assists and 4 steals in the game.
14.
Norris Cole made two crucial three-pointers in game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals which would spark a comeback run.
15.
Norris Cole would be ejected from game 7 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals by referee Ken Mauer after a shoving match with Indiana Pacers forward Jeff Pendergraph, who was ejected late in the fourth quarter during a 26-point Miami Heat lead.
16.
On February 19,2015, Norris Cole was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-team trade involving the Phoenix Suns.
17.
In June 2015, the Pelicans tendered a $3.037 million qualifying offer to make Norris Cole a restricted free agent.
18.
On September 17,2015, Norris Cole re-signed with the Pelicans, accepting the one-year, $3.03 million qualifying offer.
19.
On October 5,2016, Norris Cole signed with Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association.
20.
In 9 games played for Shandong, Norris Cole averaged 19.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.6 steals per game.
21.
On March 1,2017, Norris Cole signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
22.
In 13 games played for the Thunder, Norris Cole averaged 3.3 points and 1.1 assists in 9.6 minutes per game.
23.
Norris Cole helped Maccabi win the 2018 Israeli League Championship, winning his third career title.
24.
Norris Cole was named Champions League Gameday 1 MVP.
25.
Norris Cole was named Champions League Gameday 3 MVP.
26.
In 19 games played for Avellino, Norris Cole averaged 16.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and a career-high 6.2 assists.
27.
On December 21,2018, Norris Cole parted ways with Avellino due to financial difficulties.
28.
On December 21,2018, Norris Cole joined the Montenegrin team Buducnost Podgorica of the ABA League and the EuroLeague, signing for the rest of the season.
29.
On October 6,2019, Norris Cole joined Maccabi Haifa for their 2019 NBA pre-season tour.
30.
Norris Cole parted ways with the team on July 11,2021.
31.
On November 4,2022, Norris Cole was named to the opening-night roster for the Grand Rapids Gold.
32.
Norris Cole was a member of the National Honor Society and served as the salutatorian of his high school senior class.
33.
Norris Cole earned a bachelor's degree in health sciences from Cleveland State.
34.
Norris Cole is the cousin of retired defensive end Trent Cole.