{"id":83059,"date":"2026-08-30T00:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T00:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/83059\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T00:40:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T00:40:11","slug":"cole-anthonys-stunning-melbourne-united-nbl-debut-v-cairns-taipans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/83059\/","title":{"rendered":"Cole Anthony\u2019s stunning Melbourne United NBL debut v Cairns Taipans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cole Anthony<\/a> reckons the basketball gods were on his side as the ex-NBA man produced a stunning Melbourne United debut that has sent shockwaves through the NBL.<\/p>\n

In his first real hitout in 207 days, the 26-year-old destroyed a Cairns Taipans outfit that was, admittedly, an NBL team in name only, pouring in 27 points in 24 minutes on the back of five three-pointers, laced with five assists, four rebounds and three steals.<\/p>\n

Forget gods and stats for a moment \u2014 on Saturday night, it was immediately clear Anthony\u2019s speed, bounce, athleticism, anticipation, IQ and skills are clearly at NBA level and looked a cut above every other player who took the floor.<\/p>\n

And the scariest thing for the nine other NBL clubs? Minutes after the final buzzer sounded, Anthony revealed he did all his work well below peak fitness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to keep it a buck, this was solid but, I promise you, I\u2019m out of shape,\u201d Anthony told Code Sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been running every day after practice and I\u2019m going to keep that up, but we\u2019ve got a long way to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m still getting my legs under me and I need more conditioning but, once I get that, it\u2019s going to be a fun season.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last time Anthony bounced a ball in a \u201creal\u201d game was way back on February 3, when he had four points, five assists and three rebounds in 12 minutes to help the Milwaukee Bucks defeat a Josh Giddey-less Chicago Bulls 131-115 \u2014 in front of a sold-out crowd of over 17,000 at Milwaukee\u2019s Fiserv Forum.<\/p>\n

Seven months on, the location couldn\u2019t have been a more polar opposite \u2014 Cranbourne in Melbourne\u2019s south-eastern suburbs.<\/p>\n

But the some 1400 fans who made the trek to Casey Basketball Stadium left with what will likely become an \u201cI was there when \u2026\u201d moment they can tell their kids and grandkids about one day.<\/p>\n

From the first tip, It took Anthony all of 13 seconds to show he meant business, as he stepped straight into a three on the very first play of the game to get things rolling.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking your first shot always feels good, but if you don\u2019t make the first shot, you can make the second shot, don\u2019t make the second, make the third,\u201d he told CODE Sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to have some irrational confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""I'm<\/p>\n

Prior to Saturday night, the New York native had promised he would be \u201cballs to the wall\u201d<\/a> in his first appearance for the club.<\/p>\n

So, five minutes after that opening bucket, Anthony trotted to the bench barely able to keep the smile off his face, having accounted for eight of the first 11 United points, while assisting on the other three, former Orlando Magic teammate<\/a> Joe Ingles finished off a neat Anthony pass with a silky triple.<\/p>\n

Balls to the wall, indeed, but Anthony insists it\u2019s only the beginning \u2014 even if he\u2019s steadfast in not getting ahead of himself on the back of one prolific outing.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, if I\u2019m going to step out on the court I want to put my best foot forward every time,\u201d Anthony said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, the basketball gods are on your side.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were on my side tonight but I also put a lot of work in for this moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a game where I felt like I was able to step into a lot of good shots that just happened to fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a good start \u2014 but it might not be like that every game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally published as Former NBA man Cole Anthony puts NBL on notice with stunning Melbourne United debut<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cole Anthony reckons the basketball gods were on his side as the ex-NBA man produced a stunning 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