Cole Anthony is back in a place where his game and his personality can breathe again.
The former Orlando Magic guard opened his run with Melbourne United in Australia by dropping 30 points in a 97-95 loss to the Adelaide 36ers, and the early signs were exactly what you’d expect from a scorer trying to rebuild momentum. He was getting to his spots, creating off the dribble and looking every bit like a player who still believes the bucket is there whenever he wants it.
Then came the part Magic fans know best: the swagger.
After the game, Anthony caught a teammate off guard at the postgame press conference when he said, "I don't think we're going to lose a game for a while." He may also have promised that Melbourne United would win the title.
That kind of line is pure Cole Anthony. He has never been shy with a microphone, and that fearless confidence was a big part of why Orlando fans connected with him so quickly. Even as his NBA path got rougher late in his time in the league, the bravado never really disappeared - it just became harder to spot.
For Magic fans, this is a familiar and emotional name in a different uniform. Anthony was drafted in 2020 and came into the league alongside a roster that still had Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon.
He started as a reserve, then stepped into a bigger scoring role after those veterans were moved. He also came back from a hand injury in his rookie season and still managed to leave his mark.
There were bright moments all along the way. Anthony hit two game-winners as a rookie in the empty arenas of the 2021 season. He had big nights later, too, including a comeback effort against the Miami Heat in December of the 2025 season, when an undermanned Orlando group erased a 25-point deficit.
Over five seasons with the Magic, he averaged 12.5 points per game. His scoring dipped as the team improved, and his two playoff appearances didn’t go well. Eventually, the front office’s push to keep climbing led to a roster shakeup, and Anthony was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies.
What followed was a difficult stretch. He was bought out soon after the trade, spent a season with the Milwaukee Bucks without finding his footing, then was traded to the Phoenix Suns and cut late in the season.
That makes this new chapter in Australia feel important. Anthony is trying to get his game back and reclaim some of the edge that made him such a magnetic presence in Orlando.
He remains a sentimental favorite for Magic fans, not just because of the scoring, but because of the way he lifted teammates and embraced the group. Every team needs a player who can keep the mood up.
Anthony was that guy.
So while Orlando has moved on, there’s still something easy to root for here. If Magic fans catch Melbourne United this season, they’ll see a former favorite trying to turn confidence into a comeback.
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