Norris Cole

Norris Gene Cole II (born October 13, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League.

On December 15, 2008, he helped lead Cleveland State to their biggest regular season victory in school history, upsetting the #11 Syracuse Orange, 72–69.

It was CSU's third-ever win over a Top 25 ranked opponent, and first ever on the road.

They would pick up their fourth and fifth wins over Top 25 opponents later that same season when they won at #17 Butler in the championship game of the Horizon League Tournament 57–54, and then in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament when, as the 13th-seeded team in the Midwest bracket, they routed 4th-seeded and #12 Wake Forest by a final score of 84–69.

His 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.

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.

He was also a finalist for the Wooden Award and a "Final Five" finalist for the Bob Cousy Award.

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.

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.

After a solid preseason when he averaged 21.3 points and 8 assists, he impressed a nationwide audience in the Heat's home-opener against the Boston Celtics by scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter (making many crucial shots in the closing minutes) to secure a Heat victory in the face of a Celtics comeback attempt.

Cole finished that game with a total of 20 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals.

He became the fourth-fastest rookie in Heat franchise history to score at least 20 points in a game.

Cole finished the 2011–12 season averaging 6.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists on 39% shooting, serving as the team's backup point guard behind Mario Chalmers.

A 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall point guard, he is a two-time NBA champion, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 with the Miami Heat in his first and second years in the NBA.

He was a high school teammate of future NBA player Daequan Cook (The two later faced each other in the 2012 NBA Finals).

Cole was set to go to Walsh University on a football scholarship when Cleveland State basketball coach Gary Waters decided to recruit him.

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, Cole was selected as the 20th rookie in order to even out the competition.

He tallied 18 points, 6 assists and 4 steals in the game.

He made two crucial three-pointers in game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals which would spark a comeback run.

Cole won his first championship in his rookie season after the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 4–1.

Cole played in 80 games in the 2012–2013 season, including 4 starts, and averaged 5.6 points and 2.1 assists.

In the playoffs, Cole averaged 6 points a game, including two straight 18-point games against the Chicago Bulls in games 2 and 3 of their second-round series.

He 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 also ejected late in the fourth quarter during a 26-point Miami Heat lead.

Miami would advance to the Finals, Cole's second trip.

Miami pushed the San Antonio Spurs to 7 games and won the title for Cole's second championship.

In the 2013–2014 season, Cole played in all 82 games and started in six games, averaging 6.4 points and 3 assists per game.

In the playoffs, Cole scored 13 points in game 4 of the Heat's first-round sweep of the Charlotte Bobcats, and would not score in double figures again until Miami's crucial game 2 victory against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, posting 11 points with two three-point baskets.

Miami defeated Indiana 4 games to 2 to advance to their fourth straight Finals and Cole's third.

The Heat would once again face the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals, but Miami would lose the series in five games.

Cole was the only Heat player who had a contract going through the 2014–15 season.

On October 29, 2014, Cole started his first opening-night game and subsequently scored a career-high 23 points in the 107–95 win over the Washington Wizards.

In 47 games played and started 23 games with Heat in 2014–15 regular season, Cole averaged 6.3 points, 3.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds, .9 steals, and playing 24.4 minutes per game before being traded.

On February 19, 2015, Cole was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-team trade involving the Phoenix Suns.

Two days later, he made his debut for the Pelicans against his former team, the Miami Heat.

In just under 30 minutes off the bench, he recorded 12 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in a 105–91 win.

Cole became a replacement for the injured Jrue Holiday.

The Pelicans made the playoffs but were swept in their first-round match-up against the eventual champions, the Golden State Warriors.

In his seven NBA seasons, Cole made the playoffs all but once (2016).

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.

On February 6, 2016, Cole's No. 30 jersey was retired by Cleveland State during a pre-game ceremony.