Ex-LeBron James Heat teammate eyeing NBA comeback
Jan 21, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nearly a decade after winning back-to-back titles with LeBron James on the Miami Heat, one former NBA player wants another bite at the apple.
Six-year NBA veteran Norris Cole told reporters this week that he would like to make a comeback to the league.
“I still have the ability,” Cole said, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. “God has still blessed me with the ability. I still have the fire, the hunger and I still feel like I have something to prove, things that I would like to accomplish as a player.
“That feeling of winning a championship, the mission, the goal, the work to try to get to that point again, that’s what drives me as a competitor,” Cole went on. “And I want that feeling again.”
Cole, an ex-first-round pick, served as a backup point guard in Miami during the Big Three era, winning NBA championships there in 2012 and 2013. He then spent some time with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder after the Heat traded him in 2015. In the years since, Cole has been on a world tour of sorts, playing professionally in China, Israel, Italy, Spain, Montenegro, and France.
At the moment, Cole is on the USA Basketball roster for this month’s FIBA AmeriCup tournament in Brazil, which he is hoping will catapult him back into the NBA. Cole likely faces an uphill battle, especially since he turns 34 next month. But we have to admit that it would be fun to see some of Cole’s theatrics in the Association again.
