Ex-Heat Fave, Two-Time Champ Joining Team USA

Norris Cole’s tenure with the Miami Heat was but a moment in time in the scope of the franchise’s history. All told, the Cleveland State product spent just three and a half years in South Beach, mostly as a backup. What a three and a half years it was, though.

In his second-ever pro game in 2011, the point guard dropped a 20-piece on the rival Boston Celtics (on national TV no less). From there, he went on to win two championship rings with the Big Three-era crew in a contributing role. He also famously won a Porsche off of Dwyane Wade with a half-court shot.

So, his exploits will undoubtedly be long remembered by the Heat faithful.

Fast-forward to now, and fans may be getting the opportunity to see Cole in action on the international stage as the US men’s senior national team attempts to defend its FIBA Americas championship.

Cole Headed to Team USA Camp Ahead of AmeriCup

As announced by USA Basketball on Thursday, Cole was one of 15 ballers invited to participate in the squad’s 2022 AmeriCup training camp, which will take place from August 23-27 in Las Vegas. In doing so, he’ll have a chance to secure a spot on the AmeriCup team, which will be coached by Utah Jazz assistant Alex Jensen.

Team USA’s list of camp invitees includes just five players with previous experience with the national team — Will Davis, Orlando Johnson, Frank Mason III, Jeremy Pargo and Stephen Zimmerman. Meanwhile, Cole is one of 10 athletes who are entering the program for the first time.

Jodie Meeks, Eli Pemberton, Zylan Cheatham, Gary Clark Jr., Derek Culver, Anthony Lamb, Kendall Smith and Craig Sword will be joining the former Heat guard as first-timers.

Having been rescheduled from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 11th quadrennial FIBA AmeriCup tournament will take place in Recife, Brazil, from September 2-11. The Americans will tip things off in Group C versus Mexico on Sept. 2.

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Cole’s Recent Career

Since participating in his last NBA game with the OklahomaCity Thunder during the 2016-17 campaign, the 33-year-old Cole has balled out in Israel, Italy, Montenegro, Monaco, France, Spain and Puerto Rico.

He began the 2021-22 campaign with Unicaja of Liga ACB, with whom he appeared in 22 games across all competitions. Along the way, Cole averaged 11.6 points and 4.2 assists per outing while connecting on 35.4% of his three-point field-goal attempts.

In January, though, the two sides decided to part ways and Cole eventually made his way back to LNB Pro A, where he had won a title with ASVEL in 2020-21. This time, however, he signed on with JL Bourg. He would make eight appearances with the club, averaging 13.3 points and 3.6 assists per game.

In July, he signed on with Atleticos de San German of the BSN.

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