Cole Anthony was not supposed to be thrown into the fire as soon as he was. He certainly was never meant to have the ball in his hands with the game on the line.
But on a January day, in the middle of an empty Target Center due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and with no timeouts remaining, Anthony was the one who got the ball after a missed free throw. There was no time to pass the ball and no time to do anything else. The rookie had to take the shot.
That was the night the legend of Cole Anthony was born. He drained the basket, sending the Magic bench and locker room into hysterics. He gave his first of many memorable walkoff interviews.
A few months later, the Magic transformed. After returning from a hand injury early in his career, the Magic deconstructed their team, trading away Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon. Markelle Fultz was out with a torn ACL (the reason Cole Anthony was even getting playing time).
For a time, Anthony was the star. He delivered another buzzer-beater during his rookie year, pulling up for three to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies for his most iconic postgame interview performance.
That was Anthony: Completely fearless, eager for the moment and pushing as hard as he could for his team and his teammates.
When the Magic were starting from scratch and had nothing to believe in, Anthony gave them that belief. He gave them irrational confidence at a time when they should not have had it.
Anthony endeared himself to Magic fans by holding the boat steady during that time. He believed in the vision when there was not even a vision yet.
When this Magic team wins a playoff series and competes for a championship, it will be fulfilling that belief.
Only, Anthony will not be there to celebrate it. The ultimate team and culture player, the player who bought in and sacrificed so much, was the cost to make the trade to get the team that missing piece.
"He brings such a live energy, a spirit, a fearlessness to the game," coach Jamahl Mosley said after the trade. "There are some nights he can win you a game. On numerous occasions, he has done that for us. The energy he brings to that locker room. The joy and the spirit of the game is what he continues to have and continues to bring. Being with him over the past 4.5 years, I have seen so much growth with him both on and off the court."
The NBA as a business can be quite cruel. And nothing is as cruel as the decision the Magic had to make.
To realize their dream of winning a championship and improving their roster, they had to part ways with one of the players who was foundational to the rebuild's early days but was no longer a clear part of the team's future. The Magic, for salary purposes as much as anything on the court, included Cole Anthony in the trade for Desmond Bane, a move that has clearly lifted the team into contention.
That does not make his departure any easier. It does not mean anyone should see him depart without reflecting on what he brought to this team and this city.
Anthony embraced the city
It is somewhat ironic that Cole Anthony came to the Orlando Magic at a time when he could not connect to the city.
His rookie season was the season after the Bubble, with much of the league playing in front of empty stadiums. He got thrown into the fire after Markelle Fultz's injury early in the season and then suffered his own injury that disrupted his rookie season.
Anthony was easy to love. He played with bravado and swagger. He stepped up in big moments -- that never changed from his incredible putback dunk to help clinch Game 6 against the Cleveland Cavaliers to his game-winning floater to beat the Brooklyn Nets last season.
But more than anything, he connected because it was clear how much he cared about his teammates. He was the biggest cheerleader for his teammates.
Even as the Magic began adding bigger pieces, he embraced a bench role. It was Anthony, standing on the bench, pointing to his jersey number to celebrate Paolo Banchero's 50-point game. It was Anthony always pumping up his teammates, shouting them out in postgame press conference. It was never about him.
Beyond that, he was active in the community in Orlando. His 50 Ways Foundation held several events in Central Florida. He was a constant presence, boosting everyone around him.
That is what stood out about him more than anything else. He was a hard worker on the court, but he was someone who brought his teammates and his community together.
Anthony struggled in the new era
Undoubtedly though, Cole Anthony increasingly found himself as the odd man out in the Orlando Magic's new era.
Anthony was a capable scorer when the team was in its early rebuilding phase. But as the Magic added key players and gained expectations, Anthony's shortcomings became clearer.
He averaged 11.6 points per game in the 2024 season and just 9.4 points per game last year, the two lowest scoring averages of his career. He was fairly inefficient.
It was tough season for Anthony.
"It's a long season," Anthony said at exit interviews. "There were definitely some high moments and definitely some low moments. I want to have a great summer of work, refocus and reapply myself and have a great summer."
Anthony struggled even more in the Playoffs, despite his Game 6 heroics. He averaged 5.1 points per game in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2024 and 2.2 points per game in the series against the Boston Celtics in 2025.
Orlando is trying to win and advance in the Playoffs. A player who was supposed to excel at scoring was struggling to score. And the Magic needed more from their bench.
Except for that glorious stretch in December when the Magic had nowhere else to turn or his 26-point effort in the Play-In Tournament game against the Atlanta Hawks, Anthony struggled. He was self-aware enough to agree that he should not be in the rotation.
Anthony is out of the Magic's hands now. The Memphis Grizzlies are reportedly moving to buy him out of the final year of his contract. Suddenly, Anthony's playing future is in doubt.
It is an unfortunate way for his career to go. It is unfortunate to think that a player who was so essential to the beginnings of this Magic rebuild was pushed so clearly to the side.
That is how this business goes. Orlando needed to move on. The team has bigger ambitions and this is the cost of doing business.
But Anthony should always be remembered for his contributions to making this team what it is quickly becoming. He was an essential player. And the camaraderie and energy he brought to the team will be difficult to replace.