Team USA is currently taking part in the FIBA AmeriCup tournament in Brazil which started on Friday. Unlike in other more prestigious international tournaments, however, this iteration of the national squad does not contain any NBA superstar. Instead, it has a good mix of young talent and ex-NBA players, who for their part, are also looking to use the tournament to try and make their case for a potential comeback in the league. One of them is LeBron James' former Miami Heat teammate Norris Cole.
Cole, who spent the first three and a half years of his career in Miami, won no less than two championships alongside LeBron and the Heat Big 3. He has been out of the league since 2017, however, and he has since been plying his trade abroad. At this point, though, the 33-year-old is hoping to get another chance in the NBA (via Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press):
“I still have the ability,” Cole said. “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. And I want that feeling again.”
After his stint with the Heat, Norris Cole also suited up for the New Orleans Pelicans. His last NBA team was the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he played 13 games during the 2016-17 season.
It has been five long years since Cole has had a taste of NBA basketball and there's no denying that he faces an uphill battle as he hopes to come back. Nevertheless, the 6-foot-2 point guard has chosen to stay optimistic:
“Just a chance, that’s all I ask,” Cole said. “I have a lot I can bring to a team. I want to continue to show that.”
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