Cole Anthony

Cole Hinton Anthony (born May 15, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Listed at 6 ft and 185 lb, he plays the point guard 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.

When he was 11 years old, he appeared in Little Ballers, a 2013 Nickelodeon documentary film directed by his mother, Crystal McCrary.

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

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

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

Christ the King Regional High School 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 and 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 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.

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.

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 and was a prominent Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) figure in New York.

In July 2018, Anthony won the most valuable player (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 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 (MVP) of the McDonald's All-American Game, 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.

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 for his success in both basketball and academics.