Cole Anthony

Anthony is an explosive scoring point guard whose career has oscillated between flashes of shot-making brilliance and persistent questions about efficiency, health, and role definition. The son of Greg Anthony, an 11-year NBA veteran and national champion at UNLV, Cole grew up in Manhattan and was immersed in basketball culture from birth. He was a consensus five-star recruit, the top-ranked point guard in the 2019 class, and a decorated high school performer at Archbishop Molloy and Oak Hill Academy. He became the first player in Oak Hill history to average a triple-double, earned MVP honors at the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit, and committed to North Carolina over Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Oregon.

Born Cole Hinton Anthony on May 15, 2000, in Portland, Oregon, he grew up in Manhattan after his family relocated. He played baseball before committing to basketball in fifth grade. He trained with private coaches and played pickup against older opponents, mentored by Steve Harris, who also coached Kemba Walker. At 11, he appeared in Little Ballers, a Nickelodeon documentary directed by his mother, Crystal McCrary, chronicling his AAU team, New Heights. At Archbishop Molloy, he became the first freshman to start immediately at point guard and averaged 16.9 points and 6.7 rebounds. As a sophomore, he averaged 20.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists and led Molloy to the CHSAA city championship final. He was named Nike EYBL Defensive Player of the Year after leading the circuit in steals. As a junior, he averaged a league-high 23.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists and was named USA Today All-USA third team and MaxPreps Junior All-American.

For his senior year, Anthony transferred to Oak Hill Academy and averaged 18.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 10.2 assists, leading the Warriors to a 31-5 record and becoming the first player in school history to average a triple-double. He was named Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year and earned USA Today All-USA first team and MaxPreps All-American honors. He was named MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit. On April 23, 2019, he committed to North Carolina.

At UNC, Anthony debuted with a school-record 34 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists against Notre Dame on November 6, 2019, also setting the ACC freshman debut scoring record. On November 15, he became the first UNC freshman to score at least 20 points in each of his first three games. On December 17, he underwent surgery for a partially torn meniscus in his right knee and missed four to six weeks. He returned on February 1, 2020, with 26 points against Boston College. In February against Virginia, he suffered a bloody facial injury after being elbowed but returned after three minutes with a bandage over his eyebrow. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 22 appearances and earned third-team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman honors. The team finished 14-19, the first losing season under Roy Williams. He declared for the 2020 NBA draft on April 17.

The Orlando Magic selected Anthony 15th overall in the 2020 draft. On January 20, 2021, he hit a game-winning buzzer-beater against Minnesota. On May 1, he posted a then-career-high 26 points and another game-winner with 0.1 seconds against Memphis. On May 16, he became the first Magic rookie with 30-plus points since Victor Oladipo in 2014, finishing with the fifth-highest rookie scoring game in team history. He concluded his rookie year with four 20-point games and two game-winning threes. In the 2021-22 season, he was discussed as a Most Improved Player candidate. On October 26, 2022, he suffered a right internal oblique injury. On December 29, 2022, he was suspended for one game for leaving the bench during an altercation against Detroit. On October 23, 2023, he signed a three-year, $39 million extension. On April 15, 2025, he scored a team-high 26 points in a play-in win over Atlanta that gave Orlando the seventh seed.

On June 15, 2025, the Magic traded Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, four unprotected first-round picks, and a 2029 pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies for Desmond Bane. On July 12, 2025, he was waived after a buyout agreement without appearing for Memphis. On July 16, 2025, he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2025-26, he made 35 bench appearances and averaged 6.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. On February 5, 2026, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in a three-team deal involving Chicago. Phoenix waived him on February 27, 2026, without him appearing in a game. He became a free agent seeking his next NBA opportunity.

Anthony is a score-first guard with elite burst, a willingness to shoot from deep, and the confidence to take big shots. His strengths are pull-up jumpers, three-level scoring, and creating offense when the shot clock winds down. He generates space with his quick first step and can get downhill into the paint. His weaknesses are inconsistent three-point shooting, turnover-prone decision-making, and defensive lapses. He is undersized for a modern combo guard and has struggled to finish efficiently inside. Health has also been an issue; the torn meniscus at UNC, oblique strain in Orlando, and a facial laceration have cost him time. His next chapter depends on finding a team that values microwave scoring off the bench and accepts the inefficiency that comes with it.

Anthony's résumé includes a triple-double average at Oak Hill, three all-star game MVP awards at the prep level, a gold medal and all-tournament team at the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship, USA Basketball minicamps in 2016 and 2018, the top point guard ranking in the 2019 class, the UNC freshman debut scoring record, the ACC freshman debut record, three straight 20-point games to start his college career, third-team All-ACC, the 15th overall pick by Orlando in 2020, two game-winning three-pointers as a rookie, the fifth-highest rookie scoring game in Magic history, Most Improved Player consideration in 2022, a three-year, $39 million extension in 2023, a one-game suspension, a play-in hero game in 2025, a trade to Memphis, a buyout and waiver, 35 games with Milwaukee, a trade to Phoenix, a waiver by Phoenix, and a search for his next contract. His career trajectory reflects the difficulty of translating elite high school and college scoring into sustained NBA success when efficiency and role clarity remain unresolved.