BREAKING: Ice Cole ... United lands star signing

Melbourne United have landed one of the signings of the NBL27 off-season by securing the signature of NBA point guard Cole Anthony.

The 367-game NBA talent, who's played for both Orlando and Milwaukee, joins Jacob Chance's side on a one-year deal.

"I'm super excited to begin this journey with Melbourne United," Anthony said.

"This is a great opportunity to continue growing as a player and compete for a championship.

"I'm ready to get to work and can't wait to represent the club and meet the fans!"

Across his NBA career, the 26-year-old has averaged 12.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists, including a career-high 37-point performance against the Philadelphia 76ers.

With his inaugural Melbourne United roster complete, coach Chance touched on how he believes Anthony can impact the side's push for a Championship.

"In this last spot, we wanted an elite guard with the ability to help lead our offence with his scoring ability, who makes his teammates better, while also being a really good person off the court, and Cole Anthony checks every one of those boxes," Chance said.

"His pace of play, his strength finishing around the rim, his vision, his versatility playing off the ball as a shooter, his willingness to get down in a stance and defend, all of that makes him the perfect guard for this team.

"In my conversations with him, it's been very clear that his primary focus is winning, and I'm confident that his best basketball is still ahead of him, so coming to the NBL we expect him to elevate his game to a new level, in turn lifting everyone around him.

"This is a huge moment for our club. I already can't wait to see him in a United jersey inside John Cain Arena."

Growing up in New York, the guard collected accolades such as MVP of the Nike Hoop Summit, Jordan Brand Classic, and McDonald's All-American Games, as well as Nike EYBL MVP (2018) and Defensive Player of the Year (2017).

This led Cole to joining the University of North Carolina, where he averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game over 22 games.

This landed him a spot on the All-ACC Third Team and the All-ACC Freshman Team ahead of declaring for the 2020 NBA Draft, where the Magic selected him with the 15th pick.

During the 2023-24 season, he was joined on the Magic by fellow United recruit Joe Ingles, with the pair suiting up for 75 games together.

Now reunited with Melbourne United, Ingles said he expects Anthony to dominate on the court.

"Cole is an elite scorer, elite competitor, and I think he's going to have a big impact here in the NBL," Ingles said.

"I think a point guard in this league is very important, and we've got a hell of a local point guard with Shea Ili, so adding in Cole with his pace, his ability to score at a high level, it's going to be a handful for other teams.

"We've got a really unselfish team, and I think he adds to that.

"He's going to command so much attention from the defence, and that's going to open things up for everyone on the court with him.

"He's a great guy, he's got a big personality, and I think United fans are going to love him."

Joining Anthony and Ingles on United's roster for the Hungry Jack's NBL27 Season are Kyle Bowen, Chris Goulding, Shea Ili, Fabijan Krslovic, Sean Macdonald (NRP), Malith Machar, Josh Oduro, Luke Travers, Sam Waardenburg, Tom Wilson, Jensen Bradtke, Christian D'Angelo and Harry Neilson.