Cole Hinton Anthony (born May 15, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

. Listed at and , he plays the

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

position. The son of Greg Anthony, who played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he grew up in Manhattan, New York and attended Archbishop Molloy High School before transferring to Oak Hill Academy for his final year. He was rated a consensus five-star recruit and the best point guard in the 2019 class. As a senior, he earned ''USA Today'' All-USA first team honors and was named

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

(MVP) of the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...

, Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit. In his freshman season at North Carolina, Anthony earned third-team All-ACC accolades despite missing six weeks due to injury. In 2018, Anthony led the United States to a gold medal and was named to the all-tournament team at the FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship in

St. Catharines, Ontario St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern Ontari ...

Early life

Anthony was born in Portland, Oregon, where his father, Greg Anthony, was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. His umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck at birth, affecting his heart rate at the time but not leading to further complications. As a toddler, Anthony’s family moved to Manhattan, where he grew up in a

penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

. Even though he came from a wealthy family, Anthony’s parents insisted on raising him with hard-working values. He later commented, "They don't hand anything to me in life. What they do hand to me is knowledge." Anthony first played baseball, a sport his father initially thought he would pursue, but decided to focus on basketball in fifth grade. In his childhood, he worked with private basketball trainers and played pick-up games at local parks, seeking out older opponents. From a young age, Anthony was coached by Steve Harris, who mentored NBA player

Kemba Walker Kemba Hudley Walker (born May 8, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Walker was picked ninth overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2011 NBA draft. After gra ...

and was a prominent Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) figure in New York. When he was 11 years old, he appeared in ''Little Ballers'', a 2013 Nickelodeon documentary film directed by his mother,

Crystal McCrary Crystal McCrary McGuire (formerly Crystal McCrary Anthony) is a writer, film producer and director, a former attorney and a broadcast personality. She is a creator and producer of entertainment content, including award-winning BET Networks shows ' ...

. The film featured Anthony's New York-based AAU team, New Heights.

High school career

In his first three years of high school, Anthony played basketball for Archbishop Molloy High School in

Briarwood, New York Briarwood is a middle-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by the Van Wyck Expressway to the west, Parsons Boulevard to the east, Union Turnpike to the north, and Hillside Avenue to the so ...

. He was the first freshman to immediately start at point guard for Molloy.

Christ the King Regional High School Christ the King Regional High School is a co-educational, college preparatory, Catholic high school for grades 9-12 located in Middle Village, Queens, New York, United States and established in 1962. It is located within the Roman Catholic Dioces ...

head coach Joe Arbitello called Anthony "the best point guard I've seen since Stephon Marbury at that age." Anthony averaged 16.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and garnered All- Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Class AA second team recognition. As a sophomore, Anthony led Molloy to the CHSAA Class AA city championship finals, where his team was upset by Cardinal Hayes High School. He recorded a season-high 31 points in a win over Iona Prep in December 2016. Anthony averaged 20.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game and was named to the All-CHSAA Class AA first team with teammate, junior Moses Brown. In June 2017, he played for the PSA Cardinals at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL), a noted amateur circuit, and was named Defensive Player of the Year after leading all players in steals. In his junior season, Anthony and Brown formed one of the top duos in high school basketball, as well as in Molloy's history. As team co-captain, Anthony averaged a league-high 23.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He was named All-CHSAA Class AA first team, ''USA Today'' All-USA third team, and MaxPreps Junior All-American third team. He scored a season-best 37 points against John Marshall High School at the City of Palms Classic in December 2017. In July 2018, Anthony won the

(MVP) award with the PSA Cardinals in the Nike EYBL after averaging 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists over 16 games. On July 28, 2018, Anthony announced that he would transfer to Oak Hill Academy for his senior year. The high school, located in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, is known for their decorated basketball program. He joined the team with Kofi Cockburn, another highly regarded prospect in the 2019 class. Entering the season, Oak Hill was widely considered one of the best high school teams in the country. Anthony missed a few games of his senior season with an ankle injury. He led his team to the semifinals of the GEICO High School Nationals. Anthony averaged 18.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game, leading Oak Hill to a 31–5 record, and became the first player in school history to average a triple-double. He earned spots on the ''USA Today'' All-USA first team and MaxPreps All-American third team. Anthony was recognized as Virginia

Gatorade Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine playe ...

for his success in both basketball and academics. He was named MVP of three prestigious high school all-star games: the

, where he had 14 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, and the Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic.

Recruiting

Anthony was considered one of the top recruits in the 2019 class since his sophomore season in high school. On April 23, 2019, Anthony committed to play college basketball for North Carolina. His other top choices were Georgetown,

Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...

, and Oregon. By the end of his high school career, he was by consensus a five-star recruit, top-five player, and the number one point guard in his class. ESPN ranked him as the second-best player in the class.

College career

On November 6, 2019, in his regular-season debut for North Carolina, Anthony had 34 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists to lead his team to a 76–65 victory over

. During the game, he surpassed the program record for most points in a freshman season debut, previously held by Rashad McCants since 2002, and set the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(ACC) record for points in a freshman season debut, previously held by Duke's RJ Barrett since 2018. On November 11, Anthony was named ACC Player and Freshman of the Week after averaging 27 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4 assists in wins over Notre Dame and

UNC Wilmington The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW or UNC Wilmington) is a public research university in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina System and enrolls 17,499 undergraduate and graduate students eac ...

. On November 15, he scored a team-high 28 points in a 77–61 win over Gardner–Webb to become the first freshman in program history to score at least 20 points in his first three games. On December 17, it was announced that Anthony was expected to miss four to six weeks after undergoing surgery for a partially torn meniscus in his right knee. He returned in a 71–70 loss to

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

on February 1, 2020, leading all scorers with 26 points and recording 14 free throws, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. On February 8, Anthony had 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 98–96 overtime loss to seventh-ranked Duke. A week later, in a game against Virginia, he fell to the floor and began gushing blood from his head after being struck by an opposing player's elbow. He left the game for three minutes before returning with a bandage over his right eyebrow. On March 2, Anthony was recognized as ACC Freshman of the Week a second time after averaging 22 points, six assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in victories over NC State and

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

. At the conclusion of the regular season, he earned third-team All-ACC and the ACC All-Freshman Team honors. As a freshman, Anthony averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4 assists per game in 22 appearances. His team finished with a 14–19 record, its first losing season under head coach Roy Williams. On April 17, 2020 Anthony declared for the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...

Professional career

Orlando Magic (2020–present)

Anthony was selected by the

with the 15th pick of the first round of the

. On November 21, 2020, the

announced that they had signed Anthony. On January 20, 2021, Anthony put up 13 points, alongside a game-winning, buzzer-beating, three-pointer in a 97–96 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On May 1, 2021, he posted a then career-high 26 points along with a game-winning three-pointer with 0.1 seconds remaining to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies. On May 16, 2021, Anthony became the first Magic rookie to score 30-plus points since Victor Oladipo tallied 30 on Feb. 21, 2014 against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

and it was the fifth highest scoring performance by a rookie in team history. Anthony concluded his rookie campaign with four 20-plus-point games, 19 double-digit scoring games in Orlando’s last 22 contests and two game-winning 3-point buzzer beaters. During the first few months of the

2021–22 NBA season The 2021–22 NBA season was the 76th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA returned to a full 82-game regular season in its normal mid-October to mid-April schedule for the first time since the 2018–19 NBA season, af ...

, Anthony was discussed as a Most Improved Player award candidate. On October 26, 2022, Anthony was sidelined with an right internal oblique muscle injury. On December 29, he was suspended by the NBA for one game without pay due to coming off the bench during an altercation in a game against the Detroit Pistons the day before.

National team career

Anthony played for the United States at the

2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship The 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship was an international under-18 basketball tournament that was held from 10 to 16 June 2018 in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The eleventh edition of the biennial competition, this is also the qualifyi ...

. In the final, he scored a team-high 18 points in a 113–74 win over Canada to win the gold medal. After averaging 14.3 points and 4.2 assists per game, he was named to the all-tournament team. Anthony took part in the

USA Basketball USA Basketball (USAB) is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympi ...

men's junior national team October minicamp in 2016 and 2018.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Orlando , 47 , , 34 , , 27.1 , , .397 , , .337 , , .832 , , 4.7 , , 4.1 , , .6 , , .4 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Orlando , 65 , , 65 , , 31.7 , , .391 , , .338 , , .854 , , 5.4 , , 5.7 , , .7 , , .3 , , 16.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 112 , , 99 , , 29.8 , , .393 , , .337 , , .846 , , 5.1 , , 5.0 , , .7 , , .3 , , 14.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;", North Carolina , 22 , , 20 , , 34.9 , , .380 , , .348 , , .750 , , 5.7 , , 4.0 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 18.5

Personal life

Cole Anthony and Greg Anthony (51915294716) (cropped)

Anthony is the son of Greg Anthony and Crystal McCrary and the stepson of

Raymond McGuire Raymond J. McGuire (born January 23, 1957) is an American businessman and political candidate who worked as an executive at Citigroup. McGuire was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Early life and ...

. Greg Anthony was a member of the 1989–90 UNLV national championship team and played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 11 seasons, before joining NBA TV and Turner Sports as an analyst and broadcaster. Crystal McCrary worked as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

before becoming an author and filmmaker. McGuire is a Wall Street banking executive who ran in the Democratic primary for

mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bioUSA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthony, Cole 2000 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from New York City Basketball players from Portland, Oregon Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) alumni Orlando Magic draft picks Orlando Magic players Point guards Sportspeople from Manhattan