I’m former Miami Heat star who won a Porsche off Dwyane Wade and got a Nike deal from LeBron James
Norris Cole was already on his third team by the end of the night he was drafted.
Selected 28th overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2011, he was traded to the before being sent on to the Miami Heat.
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It was a brilliant landing spot, after impressing in preseason he was able to carve out a role on a stacked roster.
Alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, he won back-to-back NBA Championships in 2012 and 2013.
As well as glory on the court, Cole learned some valuable lessons away from it thanks to his superstar colleagues.
Wade earned almost $200million over his illustrious career.
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The 13-time All-Star enjoyed a life of luxury and was also extremely generous.
Speaking on the 'Platform Basketball' podcast, Cole revealed how 'Flash' lived up to his name with an audacious bet.
Wade challenged his young teammate to a half-court shot and offered up his car in return.
"You said that, 'You make that you got the keys to the Porsche as soon as we land,'" Cole reminisced as he chatted to Wade. "As you know, I stepped up and made that shot."
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Wade wrong up his friend to get the car cleaned and its tank filled while he flew back to Miami with the team.
"I was like, 'Yo, gas the Porsche up, wash it up," he revealed. "The keys got to go to Norris."
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Kind-hearted Wade was well known for charitable gestures during his time in the league and has set up the Wade Family Foundation and a non-profit called Translatable.
The 43-year-old was not the only great to help shape his lesser known teammate's career.
Cole told the 'Club 520' podcast how a casual workout at LeBron's house turned into a money-spinning endorsement.
"I worked out with Bron a couple of times 'cause he's from Ohio, so I went to the crib," he said. "And it's funny — I worked out in some Adidas. I walked into that man's house in some D Rose Adidas, and he looked at me crazy.
"One of his homies was like, 'Why you wearing Adidas?' I said, 'Because they're gonna pay me — they're giving me the contract.' He said, 'Bro, what they paying you?' And I looked at him, and he said, 'No seriously, what are they paying you?'"
"Like, the next day, a guy from Nike said, 'Hey Norris, yeah, so what's your...' He didn't even say, 'How you doing?' or nothing. Just, 'Yeah, Norris, so what's your contract with Adidas? What do we need to do to sign you over? Send us your numbers so we can get that taken care of.'
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"I was like, 'Cool, check your phone — I'm gonna text you my contract. Just give me this,' and that's what they did."
Cole - a 6ft 2in guard - saw himself traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2015 and was playing in China a year later.
Returning to the league for a brief stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, his journeyman career later took him to Isreal, Italy, Montenegro, Monaco, France, Spain, Puerto Rico and Egypt.
The 36-year-old signed with Puerto Rican outfit Osos de Manati in April 2024.
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Earning $8million in seven years in the NBA might not be on the level of Wade or LeBron, who is projected to hit over $1.5billion including endorsements.
But he traveled the world, made the playoffs six times, earned two rings, won a Porshe off a three-time NBA champion and hooped in King James' palace - not bad for a late first-round pick.
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