Personal chef to Miami Heat guard Norris Cole, other players fatally shot at South Beach club

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A private chef employed by Miami Heat guard Norris Cole was shot and killed inside a popular South Beach nightclub early Tuesday, police said.

Police say 42-year-old Antaun Teasley was found unresponsive inside Club Mansion and that he had been in a fight with a man in the VIP area shortly before he was found. He was taken to a Miami hospital, where he died.

Teasley’s death was announced hours before Cole and the Miami Heat would play Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs in Miami Tuesday night. On Twitter, Heat guard Mario Chalmers called the news “crazy.” Chalmers also used to employ Teasley several years ago and he worked for some Miami Dolphins players.

Miko Grimes, wife of cornerback Brent Grimes, said in a tweet that Teasley was going to cook for her birthday party next week.

The last tweet posted to Teasley’s account was a photo of a meal apparently prepared for Cole on Monday afternoon — a sweet potato frittata, summer salad with raspberry vinaigrette, turkey sausage and a beet juice. Also in the photo was a pair of Heat championship rings and a miniature Larry O’Brien Trophy, a replica of the one presented annually to the NBA champions.

Teasley studied at Pennsylvania Culinary in Pittsburgh, then began working in Florida around 2000, according to his biography. He was a Cleveland native and worked with a number of pro athletes with Ohio ties — including Cole, who is a native of Dayton, and played his college ball at Cleveland State before being drafted by the Heat in 2011.

“A great person to be around,” Chalmers tweeted about Teasley after the Heat finished their shootaround practice Tuesday morning. “Never in a bad mood always smiling.”

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.